And The World Turned
by daphnebeauty
Summary: It was a summer's night and the smell of the old rose bush was as heavy as rain. Under the light of the moon and guidance of the stars, two friends finally take that step into something more.
1. Chapter 1

**And The World Turned**

A story by daphnebeauty

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><p><span>Chapter One:<span>

"Maybe it was the boyfriend." Kate said bending across the table to snag a fry from Castle's plate.

"It's never the boyfriend."

"And I suppose you think it was the butler?"

"It's_ always_ the butler. I don't even know why we investigate cases against rich people. If they had a butler, he did it. Case closed."

Kate rolled her eyes and washed the fry down with some water. "I don't know how I ever survived without you. Think of the time I could have saved if I just arrested every butler in the city!"

"Not every butler, Beckett." He spoke to her like she was a child receiving a lesson on long division. "That would be overkill. Just the ones with murdered employers." The twinkle in his eyes made her roll hers again. He leaned back cockily in the booth and wiggled his eyebrows. She threw a fry covered in ketchup at his face. His squeak of protest was more than enough retribution.

"Beckett! This is Armani. You don't throw ketchup at Armani. It's illegal."

"Well maybe you shouldn't be wearing thousand dollar shirts on the job."

"Says the woman wearing a $500 leather jacket and $300 dollar heels," he muttered under his breath.

Kate's jaw dropped open but she recovered quickly. She shouldn't have been surprised that he could pinpoint the price of her wardrobe. The man could recognize silk boxers on a bloody corpse. Why not her jacket?

"They're knockoffs."

"Like hell they are. I know quality Italian leather when I see it."

"Well your radar must be off. This cost me about as much as lunch will."

Castle shook his head in an annoyingly disbelieving way. "Sure. Whatever you say, Beckett."

She let the subject drop and roll away. Far away. She didn't need Castle nosing into her budget for clothes. Sometimes a girl just needed some killer Christian Louboutin pumps to catch bad guys without having her monetary resources questioned. At least he had yet to notice her apartment size versus income.

"While we're on the subject. What's up with your apartment square footage. I know what cops make and I know you should either be living in Brooklyn or a in shoebox apartment with a bathitchen."

"A bathitchen?"

"A bathroom-kitchen combo room. Come on. Keep up."

She laughed and the sound filled the diner, joining the ever-present clank of dishes in the kitchen and constant murmur of costumer conversation. Castle smiled. He loved to make her laugh. He made a mental note to start creating more fake word hybrids.

"I don't think that's actual real estate lingo, Castle." She started to look around the diner with the ghost of a smile still gracing her lips. "We need to head back to the precinct. I'm going to head to the bathroom. Try and flag down a waiter and get the bill." She dropped a ten on the table for her half.

He called after her, "Don't think I didn't notice your evasive maneuver." She turned around and gave him a sly smile. "This conversation isn't over." He waved his hand lightly to signal a waiter to the table and asked for the check. After laying down some of his cash on the table he grabbed her ten and pocketed it. He'd slip it back into her wallet later as usual.

He wondered how long it would take for her to pick up on the fact that he did this almost every time he could. She always went to the restroom after a meal. She would always come back out with fresh lip-gloss and perfect hair. That woman was such a contradiction. Tough as nails and "one of the guys" but he had never seen her with less than perfect hair, clothes, or makeup. And good god did she know how to flirt.

He loved that she felt secure enough in her job to not make a show of over-masculinizing herself. She was a post-feministic detective. Certainly not a trailblazer in her field and felt no need to prove herself more because she was a woman. To her and most of the detectives around her, gender had nothing to do with the job. She worked hard not to be a good _female_ detective, but to be a good detective in general. Women were still underrepresented in the force, but she never tried to blend more by ignoring her femininity. She was a woman. She was a detective. Anyone with a problem could deal.

He heard the familiar tattoo of her heels on the diner floor making her way back over to him. He stood up and faced her. "Ready?"

"Yup." They made their way out, hearing the tinkling bell on the door announce their exit. It was a perfect early summer day in New York. A bit of a chill was carried on the breeze, but the sun beamed down with warm, buttery rays and healed any goosebumps that sprung up. Shedding her jacket, Kate breathed in the scent of the city. Behind the smell of car tires and cigarettes was the scent of a fresh season. Of juicy green leaves on the scattered trees and the distinct smell of ozone. She imagined she could even smell the sunshine.

Castle noticed the small, unconscious smile that lifted the corners of her mouth and would have freely given up the royalties for his next five books just to know what had brought it to her face.

"Let's play hookey. It's too nice out to solve murders."

"No can do, Castle. Gotta put the bad guys away, before we can enjoy the good weather."

Castle did not miss the 'we' in her statement and he could barely contain his excitement. "Fine, but once we catch this guy, we are going straight to Central Park for a picnic."

"Fat chance."

"What! Why?" he whined, tugging at her elbow. "You said that we could enjoy the day after we got the guy."

"I didn't mean _we _we. I meant we as in the universal we."

"Well I don't think the universe got your memo. Looks like everyone else is already enjoying the weather." He pouted for a block and a half before she finally turned to him and pinched his lower lip between her fingers.

"If you don't suck that lip in and stop pouting, I'm going to cut it off." His eyes were wide in surprise and he nodded his head blankly in response. "Good."

She released her squeeze and continued walking, leaving him slightly stunned behind her. It only took a moment for him to catch up, but his positive energy was revived and thriving.

"You know, there are better things you can stop my pouting with. No need to cut off my lips with a knife. Maybe a little bite or a nibble. I bet that would make me stop."

"In your dreams, Castle. I'm not going to bite your lips. You wouldn't be able to handle it anyway."

"Oh, but my dear detective. I handled it just fine last time you went in for a nibble." He waggled his eyebrows at her and if Kate Beckett was the type to blush, she would be doing it right now.

"That was just for show, Castle." She couldn't believe he was breaking their unspoken agreement not to talk about the undercover kiss they had shared to save Ryan and Esposito.

"And I suppose your little moan was just for show too, then?"

Now Kate blushed. "Of course it was. We had to be convincing and it worked."

Why was he bringing this up almost four months later? She and Castle had been dancing that dangerous line for a while in the beginning of the year. The string of intense cases had brought them closer and closer until she was sure one of them was going to break through their carefully crafted barrier between work partners and something more. But she had been with Josh and the timing had never seemed right.

It was never a good idea to start a relationship after a near-death experience (or three near-death experiences in their case). Hormones were running amuck and it always made it harder to think and consider the reasons you weren't together in the first place. He was her partner. He was her best friend. Those were not things she was willing to sacrifice for an unknown outcome.

Castle had pulled back a little after the dirty bomb threat had been resolved. It was for the best. She had been coming dangerously close to throwing away her better judgment and reaching for something more with them. Surprisingly, he had been the one to realize it wasn't the time and Kate had spent the next four months convincing herself of the same thing.

His response to her denial was in a joking tone. "Whatever you say, Beckett. My opinion still stands that next time you wanna shut me up, you should be more creative. The potency of your threats might start to wear down if you keep at that track. You might need to resort to other methods. I am simply supplying you with possible alternatives. Ones you might even enjoy."

"Oh, I think I would enjoy shooting you, cutting off your appendages, or acting on my other various threats quite thoroughly."

"Fine. But don't complain to me when one day they just stop working. I'll be uncontrollable!"

"You already are uncontrollable."

"Yeah, but this will be even worse."

Kate faked a shudder. "Alright, alright. Let's not darken this beautiful day with thoughts like that." She laughed again and he took a moment to thank the powers that be for the gift of his rapier wit.

She bumped into his shoulder playfully and he caught a whiff of her scent. Cherries as usual. Sometimes when she was this close to him, all he could think of were never-ending fields of cherry orchards. His mind was gently exploring these rows and rows of cherry trees when a yell from across the street caught his attention. If any other word been shouted, he would never have even noticed. It would have blended in with the rest of the sounds of the city. But this word had seemed to be pulled directly from his mind. The shout came again.

"Cherries!"

He looked over at the man shouting and stopped in his tracks. The guy was looking straight at them and was currently dodging New York traffic to cross the street, waving his arm wildly.

He looked over at Beckett who had stopped when he stopped. She was now looking in the direction of the running man. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyebrows had shot up on her forehead. Castle turned his attention back to the guy in the road who was still yelling about cherries and currently battling the bumper of a honking taxi.

The man finally reached their side of the street and headed straight for Kate, whose mouth was still gaping open. The man had stopped yelling and was approaching them at a more reasonable pace now. Kate took a slow step forward as if in a trance and Castle looked at her confusedly. Did she know this guy?

The man smiled at her as he closed the gap to about ten feet. Kate took another mindless step forward. Castle's eyes were pinging back and forth between the two like he was watching a tennis match.

The man stopped at about five feet away and said in his deep voice, "Cherries?" Something finally seemed to break Kate out of her stupor and she spoke at last.

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><p><em>AN: _

_Reviews are always nice._

_COVER ART BY MJSOFTER!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

In a quiet voice filled with disbelief, Beckett addressed the man.

"Danny?"

He smiled a huge, perfect, white smile at her and she responded with one of her own. And then she was running. Castle watched as she dropped her jacket on the ground and flung herself into the arms of the mysterious man. "Danny!"

Danny enveloped her into his open arms and then lifted her from the ground. He spun her around and her responding laughter was brighter than the sunshine. Castle watched the scene unfold before him like something from a movie. Danny had set her back on her feet, but her arms were still locked around his neck and his hands were gripping her hips.

"Danny Conners. What on earth are you doing in New York City?" Her smile was absolutely radiant and Castle's curiosity was piquing to the point of near fixation. He had never seen Katherine Beckett smile like this. Not even once.

"I just moved here yesterday. What are the odds that out of the millions of people who live here, I see you on my first day?"

"I imagine about the same as the odds of accidentally buying a camel from a Parisian bakery owner."

"Hey. That could have happened to anyone. And Ricky is doing just fine by the way. I hear his new family in Kazakhstan is very accepting of his second hump."

At this, Castle stepped forward. "I'm sorry, did you say Ricky?"

As if suddenly remembering his presence, Kate drew back from Danny and gestured between the two men.

"Oh! Castle, this is Danny Conners my best friend of…oh I don't know. How long has it been?"

"24 years." Danny responded with a nod. He wrapped his arm around Kate's shoulders and pulled her into his side affectionately.

She raised her eyes to his face. "Really? Twenty-four? Oh my gosh we're so old!"

"You don't look a day over twenty, Cherries." She smiled and elbowed him in the side.

"And you look…taller." His laugh was deep and low and warm. Remembering the original direction of their conversation she turned back to Castle. "This is my partner, Richard Castle."

The men shook hands firmly, sizing each other up with all the subtlety of rhinos at the ballet. "Nice to meet you, man. I hope you are taking good care of Cherries here."

Castle gave a short laugh full of false humor for the benefit of the situation. _No need to make things awkward. Yet. _Although he couldn't resist taking a jab at the blindingly obvious nickname that was being bandied about. "Oh, I do my best, but I think _Cherries_ here is the one who ends up doing most of the 'taking care'. I'm not actually a cop. I'm a writer."

Kate narrowed her eyes at his use of her newly discovered moniker. "Is this payback for the Kitten thing?"

"Revenge is sweet, my dear detective."

She rolled her eyes. "You start calling me Cherries and I revert to Kitten."

"Fine, fine. But I don't see why he gets too."

"He is the creator of the nickname. It's tradition."

Danny had been watching the interchange with interest, immediately observing the close bond that was so apparent to anyone who watched the two together. He immediately pieced together that there was more there than a professional partnership. Intrigued, he wondered exactly how close the two partners were and made a mental note to find out. Turning his head down to Kate he interrupted their banter.

"So are you on the clock right now or could you grab some lunch?"

Her face looked genuinely disappointed as she shook her head. "No. Castle and I just had lunch and we are on our way back to the precinct now."

He nodded. "Well how about tomorrow then. We've got a lot to catch up on. How about dinner and drinks after work?" There was no way he was letting too much time go by before catching up with Kate. It had almost been seven years since they had seen each other and that was too long for his taste.

She smiled. "I can't wait. Just give me a call and we will meet up. I'll show you the best place in town."

"Sure thing, Cherries. Until tomorrow." With one last hug and a kiss to the top of her head, he walked away, turning momentarily to add "Nice to meet you, Richard. Love your books."

Castle was sitting in his chair, studiously observing his muse. The tiny smile poised on her lips had yet to disappear. It was almost seven at night and the sparkle in her eye had not diminished even a fraction. He could tell she was barely containing her happiness from the events of the afternoon. Something about this Danny guy had flipped a switch in her demeanor and it was showing no signs of reverting. Not that she had been unhappy before, but this…this was different.

As for Castle himself, he was nearly bursting at the seams with the need to question her about the mystery man from the afternoon. He wanted to know everything. He wanted to know why Danny got to call her Cherries. He wanted to know why they had once owned a camel named Ricky. He wanted to know why they had been in Paris together. He wanted to know the exact nature of their relationship, because no woman that he knew would be friends with a man that handsome and not want a relationship. Except for Beckett and himself. Not to mention that no man would be friends with a woman as gorgeous as Kate without desiring something much, much more.

And as much subtext as he had radiated throughout the day, Kate had revealed not a single answer. The pressure was building in him like a teapot over a volcano. Any minute now he would start screeching at the top of his lungs and demand answers to the questions burning deep within his roiling thoughts. The unknown was practically killing him and he was unsure how long he would be able to mind his own business.

"So…you named a camel after me?"

Apparently not long.

"No."

"So…you named a camel Ricky, but it was not in reference to me?"

"Yes."

"Come on, Beckett!" he whined. "Give me something to work with. I'm dying over here."

She sighed and pushed her chair back from the desk, laying her pen on top of the stack of papers she had been filling out. "After we graduated from college, Danny and I took a trip to France for the summer. His French is terrible and he ended up agreeing to buy a camel from a baker. We named the camel Ricky. Before I ever met you."

His plan to assuage his curiosity by asking her questions had backfired. Now he had about one hundred more queries springing up in his mind. She seemed to notice his newfound eagerness and sighed.

"It's a really long story, Castle, and I think it's time for me to head home."

"But—"

"Let it go. Delving into my past is just going to have to wait for another day."

Castle knew he was defeated. "Fine. But this conversation is not over."

"That's what you always say."

He watched as she grabbed her jacket and made her way towards the elevator, heels clacking their familiar rhythm into the tile floor.

Collapsing onto his couch Castle called out for his daughter.

"Alexis!" The lack of response did not deter him. "ALEXIS!" He swung his arm up over his eyes and dramatically flopped back into the cushions.

Alexis came downstairs from her room, pulling headphones from her ears and approached her dad with exaggerated caution.

"Dad. What did you do?"

"Nothing. Feed me?"

She groaned. "Dad. I was studying."

"Yes. And now you no longer need to do that because dear old dad is home and he needs to be fed."

"Feed yourself. I've got a test."

He sighed dramatically. "Fine. Bring your book downstairs and keep me company while I make us some waffles."

Her smile was bright. "Sounds like a good compromise."

Castle made his way to the kitchen and started to throw together the ingredients for waffles, foregoing the usual chocolate chips. He just wasn't in the mood for such frivolities today. Strawberries sounded better. Fifteen minutes later, he and Alexis sat at the bar and enjoyed the products of his efforts.

Halfway through her waffle, Alexis closed her book and looked up at her father, ice blue eyes meeting confederate blue ones. She had his eyes, it was true. Almost everybody commented on how identical they often looked. But hers were pure and bright and unclouded by the knowledge gained from living in a world that was less than perfect. Whenever a particularly difficult case would stifle his faith in mankind, all he had to do was look into his daughter's eyes and imagine the world as seen by her. It never failed to restore his optimism.

"Why are you so quiet today? Tough case getting you down?"

She was perceptive, but hadn't quite been able to pinpoint his troubles. He was a strong proponent in sharing the pure truth with his daughter, but he never really shared too much detail in matters of the heart. Not that this was a matter of the heart. He had fastidiously spent months removing his heart from all things Beckett related. This was just pure, burning curiosity. By this logic there was nothing stopping him from opening up to his insightful daughter.

"After lunch with Detective Beckett today, we ran into an old friend of hers. She called him her best friend, but she's never even mentioned him before. Not once."

"Well, she's a pretty private person. Usually you have to dig around quite a bit to get anything on her past. So you probably just never dug in that particular quadrant of her life."

"Yeah but—I don't know. I guess I just thought we were finally past the point where I had to dig for things. I thought I finally knew her, you know?"

"How well can you ever really know somebody. I mean, I've known you for my whole life and I don't know everything about you."

Castle nodded in concession. "I guess it just feels like she was hiding him. I wasn't expecting her to tell me every little detail about her life, but telling me about her best friend seems like a fact she should have shared."

"I guess so. Have you asked her why she didn't tell you?"

"Not yet."

"Well, I would forgo the panic attack until you do. She probably has a good reason."

"You're right. As always." He grabbed her empty plate and shoved it with his into the dishwasher. Walking over to her side of the counter he laid an affectionate kiss to the fiery crown of her head. "Thanks, oh wise one."

"No problem. I'm always here for you to talk to. Except for the next 3 hours. I am officially incommunicado. I've got a massive test and I don't need any distractions."

"Yeah, yeah. Be sure to at least turn the TV on in the background or something. Your study habits are appalling."

She rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "Let me know how it goes tomorrow."

"Will do, Pumpkin. Study hard."

Alexis had considerably lightened his troubled mood. There was probably a simple explanation for why Beckett had withheld the information. His writer's mind spun out several theories each one as plausible as the next. He'd ask her at lunch tomorrow and then let her fill in as many insights into her past as she wanted.

He ran his hand through his hair. It was getting a bit long on the ends and he knew he should call in to make an appointment with Clive soon to get it cut. He took great pride in his appearance. There was nothing wrong with that. He liked to look good. He liked the way Beckett would look at him when he looked especially good. Oh, she would try and hide it behind rolling eyes and "murder chat", but he could tell when a woman liked the way he looked.

Setting an alarm reminder on his phone to call Clive soon, he walked into his office and sat down at his computer. He wasn't particularly inspired, but sometimes an author just had to settle for mildly motivated. He had deadlines. Deadlines didn't wait.

He closed his eyes and thought about where exactly he wanted to take Nikki and Rook in this next chapter. Oh, he had a general idea, but there were so many gaps he needed to fill on his way to the destination. Something simple for this chapter, he decided. Just some filler so that he could meet the page quota and get the two protagonists to where they needed to get in order for the next plot step to occur.

He cranked out a few thousand words of a car ride conversation between the two and then called it quits. His heart wasn't in it and his readership deserved more than just filler. He would come back to it tomorrow. He decided to just go to bed early, wake up early, and get right into his investigation of Beckett's past as early as possible.

_A/N: Ok. For those of you who refuse to read fics with Beckett involved with anyone but Castle, rest assured that's not where this story is headed. Love you guys. And I think I'm going to start doing a "Reviews that made my Day" thing. I absolutely love it when author's do that and I learn that a review I have sent has actually made some sort of impact. So for today, the Review that made my day was from **Emily**. Thank you so much for leaving such a long and wonderful review for the first story I published. I hope you are reading this one too._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Kate Beckett walked through the door of her apartment and quickly kicked off the heels that she had been wearing for at least nine hours straight. Pouring herself a glass of orange juice she immediately headed over to the short, mostly decorative staircase that led up to the window that lit her apartment. Grabbing a book at random from the stacks that lined the stairs, she settled down at the top step and leaned her back against the wall. Flipping through _The Master and Margarita_, she started to read from somewhere in the middle.

Kate had already read every book that she owned, and it was her own personal habit to start reading from a random place in those books. There was something about just diving right in that gave reading a sense of the unexpected, even when she already knew the ending to the book. She had read this one at least three times and it was one of her favorites. Tonight, however, even the controversy that was artfully crafted by Bulgakov was not enough to hold her attention. Her copy of the book was in the original Russian and while she usually enjoyed the challenge of recalling her Russian vocabulary, tonight her heart just wasn't in it.

Thoughts of Danny Conners were all that her mind would entertain.

She hadn't seen him in seven years. Seven whole years. Her last memory of the man had been one year after their graduation from college. He had joined the Air Force while she had joined the Force. She had accompanied him and his family to see him off and she remembered the feel of the day as if it were yesterday.

_Her heart was breaking. She stood on the tarmac with the pavement heating her from sole to soul. With the sun on her skin and a tear on her cheek, she had waited her turn to say goodbye to her best friend. Danny had approached her slowly after hugging his parents and aunt and his eyes showed all the same emotions and fears that she herself had. His remained resolutely dry. With her hand on her chest and the wind in her hair, she looked down to her feet trying to hold back the sobs she knew would come in the car. Underneath her breath like a beggar's prayer she said, "I'll miss you. Make sure to come back to me."_

_He had pulled her in close, kissed the top of her head like he always did and promised to come home to her. He slowly withdrew from her, punched her arm lightly and smiled that lazy smile of his. "You gonna wave your hanky goodbye at me when I board the plane, Cherries?"_

"_Not on your life. Try to remember to buckle the parachute when you jump out. I know how difficult multistep procedures can be for that tiny brain of yours to grasp." The joking was their way of coping, but right now, it wasn't really helping her that much. She still felt like she was losing half of herself. _

_He dug into a pocket in his uniform and pulled out something silver. Releasing it from his hand, a locket bounced down, glinting in the light and swaying back and forth on its chain, still hanging on his middle finger. _

"_I got you something to remember me by." He handed over the small, heart-shaped locket and she closed it in her hand tightly. "I know you already have your mom's ring, so I don't want you to wear it. Just…keep it with you. I'll feel better if I at least know part of me is watching over you."_

_She wiped away another tear that was defiantly blazing a trail down her cheek. He briefly looked back at his mom and continued. _

"_It was my mom's and it's supposed to stay in the family. Since I can't very well wear a locket and my parents never had a daughter, I thought I'd give it to you. You are my sister in every sense of the word but blood and I don't want to give it to any girl but you. You are my family, Cherries. Don't forget it."_

"_I love you, Danny. I wish I had something for you."_

"_Don't worry about it. Just keep the locket in your pocket and hold it when you miss me. I'll be able to feel it and I'll send you all my thoughts of love."_

"_You're such a sap."_

"_Eh. You secretly like it. Now be good. I'll be home soon."_

_She watched him walk onto the plane with a group of other men, all dressed alike in olive green jumpsuits. He was the tallest and she made sure not to lose sight of him until he was actually gone. Soon the plane doors closed and it was making its way down the runway. It wasn't like a commercial flight and there was no waiting for 30 minutes in a line for takeoff. It felt like mere moments had passed before the incredibly overwhelming roar of the engine shook the very foundations of Kate's world. He was gone. Flying off to an alien land to have adventures without her. _

That was the last time she had seen him in six years. His parents had shortly after moved to Indiana when his father had been transferred and any leave that Danny had gotten was spent with his parents before he had to fly back out, all too soon.

They had talked on the phone occasionally, but things like that were hard to coordinate in the military. Mainly they had written back and forth, but it just wasn't the same. She missed his smile and curly blonde hair. She missed the way he made her feel. Whenever she was with Danny, she was the girl she had been before her mother's death and she liked the way that felt.

They had never been romantically involved and never would be. He was her brother and she his sister. They had grown up together and their bonds had grown in the direction of familial love, not romantic love. He had helped to fill the holes in her heart after her mother had been murdered and she had helped him survive a rough upbringing by an overbearing father. He had never been abused or anything of the like, but he had been raised by a father with a very specific and narrow view of what it meant to be a man. She had showed him that it was okay to just be himself, and she knew that he was forever grateful for that. Just as she was forever grateful to him.

Readjusting on the top stair to plant her feet on the next step, she pulled out her cell phone and debated calling him. It seemed almost surreal that he was in town and she felt like she needed to hear his voice just to know that it was actually true. He had actually come back to her.

She scrolled through her contacts and her finger hovered over "Danny". Quickly pressing the call button, she brought the phone up to her ear and waited for the familiar voice to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's me."

"Hey! How's it going? Miss me already?"

She laughed and switched the phone to her other ear. "No. Just…wanted to hear your voice. Making sure this isn't some cosmic prank."

"I know how you feel. I still can't believe we ran into each other."

"Crazy, right?"

"Insane." She could hear the smile in his voice and she smiled back.

There was a long pause as the two gathered their thoughts and worked towards creating sentences.

"I'm glad you came back."

"I told you I would."

"Yeah, but you stayed a lot longer than you said you would."

"There's a war going on, Cherries. I was needed."

She sighed, "Always the hero."

"Alright Kettle, you wanna play that game? I'm gonna go ahead and call you black."

"I'm not a hero."

"Don't be stupid. Of course you are."

She didn't agree, but she didn't want to argue with him. Solving murders wasn't heroic. It was dark and morbid and often times more depressing that anything. Any lives she saved were most often theoretical future victims. By the time she was involved, somebody was already dead. Her job was to catch the bad guys to make sure they didn't kill again. That wasn't heroic. That was just, cleaning the streets of trash.

Her silence was correctly interpreted. "Well we can talk about it more tomorrow at dinner. Where will you be taking me?"

"Castle owns a bar in town. Its called The Old Haunt. It's great and we get our drinks for free."

He laughed. "Well then I'm in! Free drinks is enough of an incentive."

She rattled off the crossroads of the bar and then made plans to meet at 8. After they hung up, she felt significantly more excited than she had in a while. He was home. That little part of her that had disappeared seven years ago was finally back and had already begun to fill in the spaces.

She got ready for bed, impatient for tomorrow to come. She couldn't wait for Castle and Danny to get closer. That was a large part of why she had decided on The Old Haunt as their destination for tomorrow night. Castle and Danny were similar in so many ways. They both had incredible senses of humor that she found endlessly entertaining (even if she feigned otherwise with Castle). They were both loyal and understood facets of her that no one else did.

They were bound to become close and she was eager to bring those two sectors of her life together. Danny was the best friend of her past, but Castle had somehow become the best friend of her present. She couldn't wait for a future with the three of them together.

_A/N: Inspiration was "And The World Turned" by Gabe Dixon Band. Phenomenal song. I borrowed huge elements from it because it really embodies the feelings I was trying to portray. I don't usually rely so heavily on other sources, but this song has been playing in my mind for a week and a half and was actually the inspiration for the story. I'll probably pick some more themes from it and add them to later chapters. This is by no means a song fic though, and the plot will not at all be following that of the song._

_Review that made my day: **You Know Who**. Because I did know who. And I am so glad you took the time to read my story. You're pretty much my hero and the best writer I've ever read. If you ever need plot ideas, you know who to ask, You Know Who._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Armed with coffee and a devilish smile, Castle strode into the bullpen with the confidence and coolness of a man entering a knife fight with a gun. His determination had amplified overnight and he was going to get some answers from Beckett today.

Sliding her coffee onto the desk he plopped into his chair and crossed his leg, ankle over knee. Leaning back in his chair with the ease of a senior in high school, he greeted his partner.

"Good morning, Beckett. Hope you slept well."

"You're cheery."

"I'm just excited for the day. I've got a feeling we are going to be getting some answers today."

"The uncle is coming in for questioning in about 30 minutes."

"You don't think it's him though."

"Of course not."

"You think it's the butler."

She took a deep breath and pushed her chair away from her computer. "It might be the butler. _Might_."

"Ha!"

"No. No 'ha'. I never said I didn't think it was the butler. I just think it's ridiculous you _always_ think it's the butler."

"We are going in circles, Detective."

Pulling her chair back towards the computer, she ran her hand through her hair and then tucked the left side behind her ear. She did the prettiest things without even trying. He had long ago stopped trying to ignore her beauty. It was impossible. The distraction of her haunting good looks was nothing compared to the distraction of trying to ignore them. Castle had instead focused on ignoring his heart. Four months of trying to fall out of love with Kate.

Outwardly, he had effectively squelched all signs of his deepest, truest feelings. Inwardly, he was almost to the point where he could lie to himself well enough to believe it. Almost.

He had realized four months ago that nothing was going to happen—or should happen—between he and Kate. At least not yet. Neither had been ready, despite the near liberation of their feelings. Or at least his feelings. The beginning of the year had been chalk full of case after case of emotionally trying experiences. It wasn't how he wanted to start anything with her. If anything ever happened between them, he wanted it to be without the excuse of near death or sheer desperation or loneliness.

So he had backed away. He had bowed out gracefully so that she could have her chance with Dr. Adonis. He stowed away his feelings and pulled them out only on rainy days or when the moon was particularly bright. It got easier as time went on. Or at least he got more used to it.

There were still moments when he forgot he wasn't supposed to love her. Moments when she would smile at him and he would forget that it wasn't supposed to fill his heart so completely. Moments when he would touch her hand or arm or back casually and forget that she wasn't his to touch. Moments when their eyes would connect across a table or a desk or a crime scene and it would seem that they both forgot that they were just friends and weren't in love.

Because they weren't in love. They weren't in love. They weren't in love. Maybe the more he told himself, the more it would sink in and he could just let it go. They weren't in love.

Except they were.

Or at least he was.

And sometimes he thought she might be too.

But today wasn't about that. It wasn't about the endless definition of his feelings and her feelings and their feelings. It was about getting to know her past. Because she was his best friend (that part of their relationship was extremely clear to him) and he wanted to know everything he could about her.

"So, Beckett. Excited about tonight?"

She looked up again from her computer, a strand of brown hair falling from its hold behind her ear.

"Yeah. I haven't seen Danny in seven years, so this is…good."

"Where are you going to take him?"

She gave him a little half smile. "The Old Haunt. Good food. Quiet enough for a conversation. And you know…free drinks."

"What's mine is yours, Detective. Drinks on the house anytime."

"Thanks, Castle." She paused looking at him with consideration. "You can show up tonight too if you want."

"I wouldn't want to intrude. You guys should catch up."

"What's with the stroke of courtesy? Normally you'd be all over a chance to get some answers into my past."

"There's plenty of time for answers. You need to have time just for the two of you."

She nodded her head, but felt almost disappointed. She had gone to sleep with visions of the two most important men in her life forging a bond. It had been naïve, but that was the nature of thoughts that came right before sleep. They were rarely the way reality would pan out.

He noticed that her expression was mildly upset. It was almost unnoticeable, but he had spent too many years paying attention to the subtleties of her expressions.

"I could always tend bar tonight. That way you have space, but I can pop in and say hi for a bit."

It seemed he had said the right thing because the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

"That sounds good. We'll be there at around 8."

"Ok, so will I."

They dove back into work as they waited for the uncle to arrive for questioning. The day flew by with very little advancement on the case. They chose not to go out for food, opting instead to munch on sundry leftovers in the precinct refrigerator. Sitting in the break room, Castle was once again rocking back and forth in his chair and Beckett had her feet propped up in another chair.

"So for tonight, do I get any background information, or am I going in blind?"

"What do you wanna know?"

"Um…What DON'T I want to know."

"Pick something, Castle. Tell you what. I'll give you five questions. I reserve the right not to answer them, but if I do answer, I swear it'll be the truth."

"Sounds fair. What's the catch?"

"Keeps you from bugging me later."

He smiled and nodded his head. Although he couldn't promise that this would keep him from questioning her further, it would probably help to alleviate some of his nosiness.

"Where to start, where to start, where to start?" He put his hand to his chin and stroked an invisible beard, eyes twinkling. "I guess what better place to start than the beginning. Stories make much more sense when you know how they start. How did you meet?"

She smiled at him in a way that showed him she had been expecting this question.

"We were six. My parents had just transferred me to Kilgore for first grade after we moved closer to that part of town. I had no front teeth and my eyes were too big for my face. The school was pretty overwhelming and I really didn't fit in. Some kid was teasing me about my eyes and pushed me out of the swing. Danny punched him in the nose as hard as a six year old can and made the kid bleed."

Her eyes were far, far away and a distant smile graced her features as she recalled the memory.

"He was this skinny kid with ridiculously curly blonde hair and huge front teeth, but I remember he looked like a white knight to me. So naturally I kicked him in the shins and told him to leave me alone. He didn't listen and we were inseparable ever since."

Castle smiled at the image of a young Beckett with big hazel eyes and no teeth being followed around by a gangly boy. Seemed she had a habit of acquiring shadows.

"Sounds like the perfect start to a beautiful friendship."

"It was."

"Why haven't you seen him in seven years?"

"He joined the Air Force after we graduated. He's been overseas fighting the war. He flew F-16s for a long time until he got promoted to Tech Sergeant. That's as much as I know. I don't know why he's back in New York or for how long."

"Were you guys ever…I mean—did you ever…was he your—"

"No. We are just friends. Just like you and me. Nothing's ever gone down in that department."

Her comment didn't fill him with security like it should have. _Just like you and me._ If she and Danny were anything like them, that meant trouble up the road. Castle wasn't quite sure he could take watching her give in to long pent-up sexual tension with anyone but him. Great. Now he was getting jealous over the woman he had no claim to and wasn't supposed to be in love with.

"Why didn't you tell me about him?

She paused and searched her mind, obviously looking for the right answer. Apparently she couldn't find one.

"I don't know."

"I mean…it just seems like he was this huge part of your life. You call him your best friend, and yet I've never heard you mention him even once in three years."

"I don't know why, Castle. I guess I just didn't feel like sharing that part of my past yet. It just didn't come up."

"Well which is it? It didn't come up or you were withholding it?"

"I. Don't. Know. I told you I don't know. It's complicated. It's not like you ever share anything with me."

"That's not true."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she shot him a knowing glare. "That is SO true. I hardly know anything about your past. I know you had two wives, two divorces, one daughter, no father, and a friend named Damien Westlake who murdered his dad. That's about it."

"You're going to tell me that _I'm_ closed off! This coming from you, who's built a fortress around her heart so impenetrable that nothing and no one can reach it."

She stood up and pushed out her chair so forcefully it fell over.

"We're back here, are we? I haven't shared enough of myself with you yet? Haven't given you enough of myself? What else do you want from me?"

"I want to be your best friend. I want you to stop hiding from me. I know you trust me with your life. Why can't you trust me with this?"

"I told you I don't know! I trust you, Castle. Probably more than I've ever trusted someone before. But I can only give so much until I just don't have anything left."

Her face was red with anger and her eyes were blazingly brown. Castle imagined that the golden flecks were actually sparks of fire. Sparks of wrath. They stared at each other in silence. The only noise that filled the room was their labored breathing and the ticking of the clock on the wall. She spoke first.

"Listen. I don't want to hide Danny from you. I want you to meet him. I want you to get to know him. He'll want to get to know you."

"I'll be there." Castle's face was serious and he rubbed his hands over his cheeks. "I think I'm going to head home early today. Not much is going on case-wise and I have a bit of last minute changes to make in _Heat Rises_ that the editors wanted me to fix before it goes to publication."

She nodded her head in understanding. They needed some space. "I'll call you if anything breaks in the case."

"Thanks. See you at 8?"

"See you then."

Castle walked out of the break room and made his way home. All the confidence and determination that he had walked in with this morning were completely drained away. He had gotten some questions answered, but he was not going home a happy man. He hated fighting with Beckett and made a promise to himself as the elevator doors closed to make it up to her tonight.

_A/N: Is it customary to leave an author's note every time? Do you guys want me to? I can't really think of anything to say except the obligatory "Review please", so umm...review please?_

_Oh! I just thought of something! Anybody else LOVE the title of the next Nikki Heat book? There were a lot of good ideas floating out in the fandom, but Heat Rises just has such a great ring to it. So many possible layers. I can't wait for September so I can buy the book. I bought the previous two for my sister for Christmas, but I must admit...I mostly bought them for myself._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

The Old Haunt was slow that night, but it was still early. Patrons were scattered in clusters back by the tables, but at the bar, solitary drinkers started their night early with hard alcohol and at least one barstool in between each. They weren't here to talk. They were here to forget their troubles for a while and lose themselves in the atmosphere.

Castle found these men some of the most intriguing he had encountered in his life. Each of their problems were different, but they had all been drawn here. There was a certain camaraderie in this kind of loneliness. There was no need for words. The simple knowledge that someone else needed a stiff drink just as bad as they did was consolation enough.

Castle knew not to talk to these men unless they started it. He kept their glasses full and bills low. He could tell when one was having troubles with a woman. Those men all had the same hollow, pained look on their faces. One that he was sure was engraved on his own heart. He only ever charged these men half price. "The Lonely Hearts Discount", he called it.

Castle had come straight to The Old Haunt from the precinct and done the editing he needed to in the office below. He enjoyed working there, but didn't do it as often as he would like. He had emerged from the basement at around seven and took over the bar from there. The Old Haunt never got too crowded and one man was more than enough to work the bar.

With a stained towel slung over his shoulder, he felt he played the part of "bartender" quite well. The sleeves of his maroon shirt were rolled up as he poured straight whiskey in a glass for the man at the end of the bar. It was his third tumbler and Castle was considering calling the man a cab already. It was embarrassingly early to be sent home drunk in a taxi, but Castle didn't want his bar to be known for it's slobbering drunks.

Looking at the clock to see just how early it was, he realized that it was five until eight and there was no sign of his detective and her friend. He hoped that their fight earlier hadn't caused her to change plans for the evening and spend it at some other bar where the owner hadn't basically called her cold-hearted.

He knew she was anything but cold. Her heart was deeper and capable of more emotion than almost any other person he had ever met. It was part of what made her extraordinary. He wished she would let him in just a little bit more, but he also understood how difficult it was for her to do that. Normally he was understanding of that and only pushed her as far as he knew she could go.

Today he had pushed a little too far. The mysterious Danny had gotten to him and he had let words get away from him that he didn't really mean. He knew she trusted him with things she didn't tell anybody else, and he was honored by it. He had gotten greedy and just hoped that she could cut him a break.

He was really willing to welcome Danny with open arms. If the man was important to Beckett, then he was important to Castle. He was deep in thought about the different ways he was going to woo Danny Conners and convince Beckett that he was ready to take whatever she wanted to give him and not demand any more or less. He was so deep in thought that he managed to miss the two familiar people walking through the old oak doors and towards the bar.

Wiping mindlessly at an invisible spot on the wood with his towel, he only looked up when he heard a throat clear.

"Hey, Barkeep. Care to set us up with some drinks?"

He smiled a truly warm smile. "What will you be having on this very fine evening?"

Beckett looked over at Danny who looked at Castle. "What kind of Irish Reds do you have?"

"Other than my mother and daughter, I've got some Murphy's on tap. Sound good to you?"

"Perfect. I'll have a pint."

"And you, my dear detective?"

"I don't know. I've been playing with bourbons lately. Got anything new on that front?"

"Oh let's see, let's see…" Truth was, Castle had gone out specifically to stock his bar with as many bourbons as he could get his hands on as soon as he had figured out she had started drinking them. He had found the perfect one for her and couldn't wait to serve it. He finished drawing out the Murphy's on tap and slid it in front of Danny.

"I've got this angel of a whiskey in stock. Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon. You'll love it."

"Sounds great. I'll take one finger, straight up."

Danny spit out his mouthful of beer and started coughing violently. Castle froze in mid reach for the bottle of proffered liquor and dropped the small towel to the floor, eyes wide and mouth gaping.

As if suddenly realizing the very…explicit nature of her drink order, Kate's eyes widened ever so slightly and then she let out a short, little laugh.

"Oh come on, boys. Close your mouths and move on."

Danny recovered first, but Castle found himself still blindly reaching for a bottle of bourbon that he couldn't see because his eyes were focused on Beckett and the mental images that flashed across his mind in ambers and embers.

She leaned forward and he knew her next words were going to be teasing and sexy. "Castle. If you can't handle that drink order, what are you gonna do in about twenty minutes?"

"Twenty minutes?" His voice came out higher than he would have liked, but it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to know exactly what would be happening in twenty minutes.

"Yeah. My next two orders are going to be Sex on The Beach and an Orgasm."

His blindly groping hand made jerky contact with a bottle of Absolut and sent it crashing to the ground, splashing his dark jeans with the clear, spicy vodka.

Kate threw her head back and laughed a throaty laugh, completely satisfied with Castle's reaction.

"You are such an easy mark. Just hand over the bourbon and try not to slip."

Castle knew when he had been bested and this was one of those times. Vowing revenge, he gathered his wits and finally grabbed the bottle of Jefferson's off the shelf. Pouring her two fingers, he pushed the glass in front of her. Leaning forward with both hands on the bar, he lowered his voice to a salacious timbre.

"What's the matter? Can't handle two fingers, Beckett?"

It was her turn to freeze, although she covered it with far more grace. She loved when he teased her back.

"I don't know, Castle. Now that you've offered, it seems I'll just have to…take it." She enunciated the last two words with a flick of her tongue before she brought the glass up to her lips and took a sip.

She had won again if the look on Castle's face was any indication.

On the side of her, Danny burst out laughing. She could feel the low pitch roll through her chest and it made her smile good-naturedly. Castle's face broke into a smile and he reached his hand across the bar.

"Truce?"

She slid her fingers into his warm hand and squeezed.

"For now."

Castle joined into the laughter and soon the three of them were in stitches. Castle

Excused himself from the group and moved to take care of the other customers for a while, leaving Danny and Beckett to do the catching up that they needed.

After taking a few swallows of their drinks in silence, Danny leaned over and nudged Kate with his shoulder.

"So I take it he's more than just your partner?"

She sighed. _Oh, where to begin._

"We are definitely…not just partners. But we're not… you know…together or anything." She focused intently on the glass of her drink as she stumbled slowly over her words. Spinning it on the counter between her two hands, she didn't look up.

"So you are more than partners but less than lovers?"

"Basically."

"That leaves a lot of room in between, Cherries."

"Tell me about it. Listen, Danny. It's kind of complicated and I'd rather just…"

"Not talk about it. Got it. So tell me this instead: Are you happy?"

She looked up from her fidgeting hands finally and into Danny's milk chocolate eyes. It was like they were made to make her feel safe. His eyes made her feel like she was home. Thinking over the past seven years and everything that had occurred between then and now she nodded.

"It was hard for a while when you first left." She could tell he was about to apologize or comfort her so she laid a halting hand on his arm. "I'm not trying to guilt you or anything. I understand why you left. It just felt like I lost the only family I had left. Besides my dad."

He nodded his understanding. He knew her relationship with Jim Beckett was a difficult one. He was family, but he no longer gave her that feeling of comfort. She needed someone to lean on and Danny had been that person until he left.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I know you understand, but I'm still sorry you were alone."

"That's the thing though. I'm not really alone anymore. Castle…He's there for me. I'm happy now." She smiled softly and almost embarrassedly. Looking down to hide the smile only made her more beautiful.

"I'm glad he's there for you. I like him already."

"I knew you would. You guys are so much alike sometimes."

He laughed. "Me and the millionaire have something in common?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "You'd be surprised. That's half the reason I let him stick around in the beginning. He makes me laugh just like you do."

"Well good! I love it when you laugh, Cherries. You seem to be doing more of it, now that I think about it. You do seem happier."

"I am."

The sat back and worked on their drinks for a second, filling the silence with intermittent conversation. Kate couldn't tell if she felt like he had never been gone at all or if he had been gone so long that they barely knew each other anymore. Silences weren't uncomfortable. That was a sign of the former. But she felt like she hardly knew anything about him anymore. That was evidence to the latter.

But she could remedy that.

"So why are you here?"

"You invited me."

"Don't be a smartass. Why are you in New York?"

He spun is his barstool and leaned up against the wooden counter.

"Long or short version?"

"I want every detail, Danny. Now spill." She nudged his shin with her foot.

"Well. I guess the long version isn't really that long at all. I had a choice to continue as a Captain in the Air Force or to just shut it down and come home. You know me and you know the military was never what I really wanted for myself. So I left."

Kate knew how he had felt about the military. It was one of the most difficult times in his life and he had struggled with the decision for months. His father had wanted it. His father had almost demanded it. Danny had a strong sense of honor and duty, but he was also a gentle heart. He didn't like fighting and it had nearly torn him in two considering the fact that he might have to take lives if he shipped off overseas.

Danny's passion was in art. He was a magnificent artist. He could sculpt and paint and sketch better than anyone Kate had ever met in real life. It was a talent that was so rare and incredible in the human race, but had been vastly underappreciated by his father.

Danny had decided that the war needed him for now. He had sacrificed a huge part of himself to fight for what he truly believed in, but Kate knew it had never been his true calling. Being in the Air Force had never been for him what being a Detective had meant to her.

"Yeah. I remember," she said solemnly.

"Well. I told them I didn't want to continue with the Air Force. I was done. They gave me an honorable discharge and sort of just threw me out into the real world."

"Into the real world of New York City."

"And straight into your waiting arms."

She smiled and reached into her pocket, pulling out a very familiar silver piece of jewelry. She didn't carry it with her every day. She used to, but eventually she had just started leaving it in the jewelry box where she kept her mother's ring and father's watch at nighttime. She had specifically taken it with her tonight, however.

He held out his hand towards the dangling heart and touched it with his finger.

"You kept it."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I kept it."

He pried open the little clasp with his fingernail and held the locket steady with his hand. He smiled faintly at the picture and then twisted it over for her to look at. She had just studied it before she had left, but she didn't mind.

Two young smiling faces stared back up at her. The faded picture did nothing to diminish the apparent happiness of the boy with the lazy smile and the girl he had under his arm. The other side of the little heart locket had "Family" engraved into the side in swoopy calligraphy.

She looked into his warm eyes with her hazel ones and held his hand.

"I'm glad my family's home."

_A/N: So, my reasons for choosing Jefferson's Bourbon were twofold. 1) It is delicious. 2) It is made by Castle Brands. How freaking awesome is that? I know Beckett is usually portrayed as a tequila or vodka drinker, which is fine. She very well may be. But I am a whiskey girl through and through. I watched an interview once with Stana where she said she was playing around with and trying different bourbons. So thats sort of where this inspiration came from._

_Also: Who liked the sexy bar banter? Anyone?_

_More Alsos: I will start up the Reviews that made my day again in Chapter Six! So review for your chance to be the lucky, lucky winner! _

_This chapter has been edited slightly from it's original form. Hopefully Danny's military background is slightly more...realistic and a whole lot more vague._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Castle had hardly taken his eyes off the two since he had walked away. Not that he was monitoring or spying on them, he just couldn't look away. It was beyond curiosity now. He had a burning need to just know. To watch the woman he—the woman he _cared_ for—explore a bit of her own past was hypnotic.

From what he could tell, they were pretty outwardly affectionate. Although parts of Beckett's personality had always screamed anti-PDA, the evidence was stacked to the contrary. She hadn't minded kissing Demming in public, let alone her workplace. She had always let Josh hug her or put his arm around her when he came in. Like every other facet of her being, Kate Becket had many, many layers and she seemed to simultaneously be affectionate and undemonstrative, depending on the situation.

Danny apparently fell on the sunnier side of that street. Castle felt a little pin prick of jealousy as he noted with solemnity that his own place was rather stuck in the shade. He could count on one hand the number of times they had hugged.

Looking over at the two old friends on barstools, Castle could almost feel the incredible connection between the two from where he stood on the other side of the room. They were deep in conversation and things looked a little serious at the moment. Then he saw Beckett place her hand softly on Danny's arm. He couldn't see her face, but he could clearly see Danny's. That did him absolutely no good because the man was utterly unreadable except for the look of devotion he held in his eyes.

That look simultaneously made Castle stomach churn and his head throb. Why did he do this every time a man came into Kate's life? He didn't want to be the man who wanted something only when it was taken. If he didn't have the guts or the courage or the brains to go after her when she was single, then he shouldn't make moves or start feeling these feelings when she was…

She wasn't exactly taken. But he felt like she was once again slipping away into another man's arms. He had stayed away because the timing hadn't been right for them, but he didn't think he could watch her fall in love with another man. And Castle had a feeling that this man would be different than the others. They already had a strong history.

He slapped the towel a little too forcefully over his shoulder and tried to push all his thoughts away for now. It was not working out. Every time he looked up at the two they seemed to be leaning in closer and closer to each other. It was probably just his imagination running away with him, but that knowledge made no difference. It still felt real. It felt like he was losing her all over again.

Panic was shooting through his core. Unfounded, unwarranted, unsubstantiated panic. He knew he was being crazy. He knew it. But there was that tiny little voice in his head that just kept talking. Kept screaming. He had always thought that their time would come when it came. It had always been a matter of "when" not "if". Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. He had always told himself. But someday.

But what if someday had come and gone and left him with a whole lot of never?

That's when he saw her hold out a silver chain with something shiny on the end. His mind immediately thought it was her mother's ring, but the harder he stared, the more he realized that it couldn't be. Danny was fingering it with reverence and the piece of jewelry was making that look of devotion increase tenfold. Castle still couldn't see Beckett's face, but he saw her hand reach out to cover Danny's. It stayed there.

Before he knew what he was doing, his feet were taking him back to the two. He knew they hadn't had enough time alone yet. He knew it, but that unconscious part of him that was now controlling his feet just did not give a shit. Moments later he was back behind the bar and facing Kate and Danny. Her hand was still on his.

He could see that the piece of shimmering jewelry was a silver heart-shaped locket. It was open, but he couldn't quite see what was inside.

"What's that?" he asked. His tone was light and in stark contrast to the complete and utter war that was raging within him. He wanted them to be happy, but dammit he didn't want her to be holding his hand like that. Was it as a friend? Was it for comfort? Was it…more?

The question had made his presence known and drew the two out of the little moment they had apparently been having.

"Oh, nothing," Kate replied nonchalantly. "Just a family heirloom." She snapped the locket closed and slipped it into her pocket.

Danny turned to Castle and spoke. "Things seem to be picking up around here. This is a really nice place. I love the feel."

"That vibe you're sensing is about a hundred years of history radiating from where it was soaked up by every inch of this original wood." He smoothed a hand over the bar and wheedled his thumb in a little defect.

Danny smiled, obviously impressed. "What made you buy it? Romantic whim of a writer?"

Castle shrugged a bit and lifted one eyebrow. "You could say that. Although I think some of my reasons ran a little deeper than that." He looked over at Beckett and could tell by the small knowing look in her eyes, that she knew he was simultaneously talking about its access to the wonderfully mysterious labyrinth that lay deep beneath the city and the personal history he held with the place.

"Can I get you guys more drinks?"

"Sure, I'll have another Murphy's."

"And the lady will be having Sex on the Beach? Or will it be an Orgasm?"

"Well you usually have to have the one before you can have the other." She quirked up her eyebrow and her eyes twinkled teasingly.

"Right." He nodded and turned to start the drink order, talking over his shoulder as he mixed. "You know, sex on the beach? From personal experience I've found that a _From Here to Eternity_ moment isn't _quite_ as pleasant as one would think."

"Are you sure you were doing it right, Castle?"

"Insert Tab A into Slot B. Yeah, I think I got it. I was talking more about the sand. It gets everywhere and stays from here to eternity, if you know what I mean."

Sliding their finished drinks in front of them he leaned his hip against the counter and faced Danny.

"So what brings you back to New York?"

"I just got my discharge papers and am a free man. New York was my home and I thought I'd come back and see if it still wanted me."

"New York always welcomes its natives with open arms."

"That's what I'm hoping for. I've got a nice little place in SoHo now. Rent's a little high, but what isn't in this town."

"Tell me about it." Beckett rolled her eyes and smacked her hand down on the wood. "I had this wonderful rent controlled apartment. Perfect location and everything and it decides to go and explode. My insurance only covered so much and now I'm paying three times as much for an apartment the exact same size. How is that fair?"

"Your apartment did _what_?"

Beckett waved her hand in dismissal. "Crazy man. Bomb. It blew up."

Danny looked like he wanted to press further, but he obviously knew her well enough to let go.

"Well you could always move in with me and we could split rent."

Dead silence.

Castle thought his breath would forever be lodged halfway down his windpipe.

Beckett thought her eyes would never quite fit back in their place again.

Danny realized he had said something too far too soon.

"…Or not." He coughed. "It was just an idea. For financial survival." He nudged her with his shoulder. "Try and not look so shocked. It's not uncommon for friends to live together. But never mind. I forgot how much you like your own space."

She smiled, a bit relieved.

Castle began to breathe again.

"Man, if you guys could see the looks on your faces. I am going to have _fun_ teasing you two…" Danny's eyes were light and his tone was joking. The awkward moment that had never even needed to be awkward had been diffused.

Castle pulled the towel off his shoulder and began wiping at invisible stains on the counter just to have something to preoccupy his hands.

Seeing that his two companions weren't quite ready to talk again just yet, Danny quickly whipped up a new conversation.

"So what time do you go into work tomorrow? Do you need to be in bed by a certain time?"

"Well I don't work tomorrow because it's Saturday, but I usually head in at about 7. Murderers don't really care about normal work hours, though. When a body drops, that's when I go to work. Day or night."

"_In brightest day, in blackest night/ No evil shall escape my sight…"_

Castle's jaw dropped at the man's quote his stomach and spirits lifting considerably. He continued the rest of the quote for Danny.

"_Let those who worship evil's might/ Beware my power... Green Lantern's light!_

Danny beamed at him and they bumped fists. Beckett rolled her eyes so hard, they took her head with them.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"It's the oath of a Green Lantern, Beckett. Duh."

"Oh, silly me. I thought I was amongst adults. Not preteen comic book fiends."

"Have you _met_ me?"

"Valid point."

Castle turned excitedly to face his new comrade. "You're a fan of Green Lantern?"

"I love comic books! I have like a million somewhere in a box in Indiana."

"You should air those puppies out. Never know what they're worth nowadays."

Danny ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "You're right. Especially with the new movie coming out. That's bound to rustle up some excitement. Maybe drive the ebay prices."

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that movie! When's it coming out?"

"No idea, but I am half thrilled, half dreading it."

"Me too!"

"Ryan Reynolds?"

"Ex-ACT-ly!"

"What were they thinking?"

"Probably something along the lines of 'He will look good in tights' and then they just stopped there."

"If I see that guy acting with his abs in one more movie, I swear I'll—"

"Boycott his movies along with Mathew McConaughey and Channing Tatum's?"

"Exactly."

"I mean, _I_ would have made a better Green Lantern! Picture this," Castle slipped into his story telling mode. His face becoming comically serious as he raised one hand in a fist. "Hal Jordan. Green Lantern of Sector 2814. My duty is to promote order and justice throughout the universe."

His voice was low and dramatic like the announcer in movie previews. Kate had to purse her lips on the straw and take a large sip of her drink in an attempt to hide her smile. It failed. Danny's eyes were twinkling and it looked like Christmas had come early for the both of them.

"Yeah, dude. You totally would have made a better Hal than Reynolds. You've got that…" he swirled his hand around his face a few times, "look about you…"

"I believe the words you are looking for are 'ruggedly handsome'."

Both men turned to Beckett as she spoke. Castle's eyebrows hit the sky.

"So you finally admit it then! You think I'm sssssssexy." He drew the 's' out and then faked a little biting snap with his teeth.

"Oh boy. I wouldn't go that far."

Danny's laughter was bouncing off the walls at the two. Through his guffaws, he added lightly, "Well, I don't see why they are making a Hal Jordan movie anyway. Alan Scott is clearly the better choice."

Castle pulled his eyes away from their previous engagement of waggling at Kate and he stared in disbelief at Danny.

"You're joking right? Alan Scott?"

"He was the original! The Golden Age Green Lantern! It all started with Scott."

"Just because something came first, doesn't mean it's better."

"No but don't you think the audience should be able to see the origins of the story?"

Castle shook his head. While the subtext was absolutely clear to him, it seemed Danny wasn't quite catching on. Of course he wouldn't. But Castle would be damned if he didn't get this one particular point across. It seemed to be much more important than it probably actually was.

"The origins are important, but sometimes the best stories—the ones that change us and turn us into who we truly are—come later. They come when we are more established and ready to handle them. Personally, that's a story I'd invest in."

Kate had picked up on the not so discrete subtext that lay in the words. She blushed and looked down, wondering if Castle realized exactly what he was saying.

He looked at the top of Kate's ducked head. "Looks like that table on the end there is trying to get some service. I'm going to go freshen their drinks."

And with that, he was off in a whirl of maroon Armani and greasy dishtowel.

_A/N: Thank you guys so much for the response to this story! I've got a couple of things to take care of in this author's note, so bear with me. First things first, if you haven't noticed, Josh is not in the picture. It's been four months since Countdown (which is when I started writing the fic, and so that's the last part of canon history). At some point in those four months, he and Kate broke up. It's not a focus of this story and Josh has no real significance here except to help build Castle's reaction to Danny and his fear of losing Kate again._

_Second thing: __My knowledge of the military comes from Top Gun, JAG and last minute research on Wikipedia so I knew that I'd go wrong somewhere. Apparently I just went wrong everywhere. With some info from the wonderfully informed reviewer __**DDC2**__, Danny's little track in the military is not so much with the realism. In case you care, pilots are commissioned Officers, not Sgts and Danny would just now have been promoted to Captain. And he would never have been on an aircraft carrier. It's not vital to the plot. All you really need to know is: Danny was a pilot. Danny is now retired in NY._

_Lastly, Review that made my Day! **cati. luvs. **__**castle**__ anyone who starts their review with "Oooh, me me me!" is kind of an awesome person. Glad you're enjoying it! I love enthusiastic reviews._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

After they finished their last drinks, Danny left a tip under the empty glass (despite Kate's assurances that it wasn't necessary) and they stood to leave the bar. Danny flung his arm good-naturedly around Kate's shoulders as they made their way to the door.

Kate looked around the bar searching for that familiar brown head, and finally found him talking to a few patrons seated at a table for four. He seemed to be able to sense her stare or something because moments later he looked up and they made eye contact across the room. She gave him a small wave with her hand half raised and he returned it with an equally small nod of his head.

She turned back and leaned further into Danny's embrace, wrapping her arm low around his waist.

Smiling down at her, he asked, "Can I walk you home?"

She laughed, "Only if you want to be walking for the entire night. I live too far. How about you walk me until we get tired and we will take a cab the rest of the way."

"Sounds good." They walked onto the dark streets of New York, quiet in their content.

For three blocks they continued in their comfortable silence before Kate felt the need to speak. "Are you going to start your art again? I'm betting there wasn't much time or opportunity for it overseas."

"I'm hoping too. I know it won't be anything I can live off of, but I've realized it's something I can't really live without."

She understood and remained quiet in an encouragement for him to continue. He did.

"You used to be my favorite subject, you know."

"I know." She smiled, fondly remembering the many hours he had spent asking her to pose for him and the hours she had spent complying. He was incredibly talented and she always felt more beautiful in the pictures he drew of her than she ever did looking in a mirror.

"I've still got all of them. Or at least most of them."

"Really?"

"Of course. It's not like I would ever sell them. Not that anyone would buy my stuff."

"Oh, don't be modest. You know they would if you just put your work out there."

"Even so," he looked down at her again with a devilish smile, "I wouldn't want some of those pictures in just anybody's hands."

"Don't even try and make me blush, Danny. There isn't a single picture you've drawn that I'd be embarrassed about. If I remember correctly—and I'm positive that I do—my clothes never came off."

He laughed. "I was joking, Cherries. Just joking. We were too young for that kind of stuff. I don't think my hormonal little body would have been able to handle you…in all your glory."

It was her turn to laugh, "I bet you _still_ wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Challenge accepted!"

"Hold on there a minute, Fly Boy. I'm not dropping my pants for you."

"I'm just saying, the offer is open. And you know it wouldn't be about anything but the art. You're like my sister."

"True enough."

They continued on their walk towards Beckett's side of the town, talking lightly of many things. Danny told her about his plans to use his savings to buy a small plane and fly people around the upper east coast for tourism. The money in that industry was good and he would have a place to use his experience as a pilot. Plus he could pick his hours and focus on his art whenever he wanted to.

Kate shared some of her highlight cases with him. The funny ones, the crazy ones, the life-threatening ones. Castle was a star of every story and when Danny pointed this out, she shrugged and told him he was her partner, of course he had been there. But from then on, she was much more self conscious about bringing Castle up in her stories. She tiptoed over parts where he featured heavily.

It wasn't that she was embarrassed or thought Danny would be jealous, but she already had trouble admitting to herself how important Castle was in her life. It was even harder to do it in front of another person.

She couldn't quite bring herself to talk about her mother's case yet either. The night had been passing pleasantly, and the mood just didn't seem right to bring up something like that. She would tell him eventually. He would want to know. But tonight she wanted to keep things light.

Her feet had started to hurt in her heels after the hour of walking so she slowed down, stopping near a streetlamp. Leaning up against it she told Danny she was tired and they should both head home. He agreed and waved his hand out to the street to flag down a cab. None came.

She smiled at him with trickster's glee and held one hand out easily towards the street. Two cabs immediately stopped at the curb near her, both wanting to take her wherever she wanted to go. She smiled over her shoulder as she took the first cab.

"Well that worked out well. Now we don't have to share and go out of the way."

"You, my dear friend, are quite an impressive woman. I have never seen that happen in my life."

She replied with a smirk out the window, "Really? It's the only way I know how."

He turned to get into his own cab, but she called to his retreating form.

"Hey. I'm going to take you up on your offer."

"To draw you?"

"Draw, paint…whatever you want. You need to get back in the swing of things, and I'm going to help you."

His smile lit the night. "Tomorrow good for you?"

"Just name the time and place. I'll be there unless a body drops."

She gave the cross streets for her apartment to the cabbie and set off into the night.

Castle had watched Kate and Danny leave the bar, wrapped around each other and the tug in his gut was all too familiar. In all honesty, he knew nothing was going on between the two. But that didn't stop his extremely cruel imagination from running wild with scenarios of them sharing a cab to her place, realizing their long lost love for each other, and then…well…even his imagination wasn't malicious enough to allow him to picture what would follow. It was a self-preservation thing. His imagination knew it would probably kill him to think of Kate like that with another man.

They had left at ten. Brian was supposed to clock in at that time and Castle eagerly awaited the young man's arrival. He wanted nothing more than to sit alone in the basement with only his thoughts, _Heat Rises_, and a bottle of scotch. At 10:05, Brian burst through the doors and headed straight to the bar where Castle was standing.

"I'm sorry I'm late, won't happen again."

"It's fine. I had it covered. You okay to cover it all by yourself tonight? I'm gonna head downstairs."

"Yes, sir."

Castle nodded his thanks, grabbed the desired bottle of scotch and made his way down the stairs in the back. He had confronted Brian about skimming the bar's earnings almost immediately after he had bought the place. He wanted to keep the kid around, but didn't want to deal with somebody stealing. Or, perhaps more correctly, didn't want to deal with someone who thought they could get away with stealing. He had upped Brian's pay a bit to help with his financial woes. He didn't feel too bad for the kid, though. With a smile like that, he would never want for tips.

Relaxing into the couch in his office, Castle pulled out his laptop and opened up the final chapter of _Heat Rises_. Pouring a very small amount of the amber liquid into a glass he sat down to write. Swirling it around until it formed a tiny little tornado, he tapped his fingers on the keys, not hard enough to type letters, but enough to make satisfying little clicky noises.

Sitting at his keyboard, his thoughts came alive. They transformed from musings into very clear and detailed images. Pictures that begged to be described. Story's that demanded to be told. Unfortunately for Richard Castle, the images in his head tonight had nothing to do with Nikki Heat and the resolution of her latest case, and everything to do with Kate Beckett and her mysterious past. Those thoughts he had successfully kept at bay earlier that night came flooding with a vengeance into his consciousness.

They came mostly in flashes, but each one burned into his mind like a lit cigarette. Danny's hands were all over her. Running up her back, stroking up her thigh, gripping in her long, brown hair. It made his stomach churn as if the small amount of scotch he had indulged was only getting hotter as it sat in his stomach. Their mouths were hot as they collided together and the noises she was making were almost more scarring than the visions that pounded against his mind. All together, he was sure they were driving him into insanity.

He gripped the empty glass he held tightly and set it down a little too forcefully on the table. _What was he doing?_ _He didn't want to be _that_ guy. Drinking away the imaginary visions of the woman he would never have with a man she wasn't even_ _with? This was ridiculous! _

He slammed the bottle on the side table next to the glass and stood. It might have made more sense for him to be jealous of their friendship. Petty, yes. But at least it would have been founded in actual solid evidence. Expecting every man that Beckett talked to or had a history with to be "more than friends" with her was just ludicrous and a little insulting. He had to get a grip on himself before he let the new guy get to him.

Sure they had walked out of the bar together, arms wrapped around each other. Sure she let him call her Cherries. Sure the man was absurdly attractive and impossibly tall. But that didn't have to point towards love or sex or whatever. Besides, no matter how much he wanted to resent or dislike Danny, he had to admit, the guy was charming. Someone he would have been friends with if the situation with Beckett had been any less confusing. The man had a collection of Green Lantern comic books, for goodness sakes. That had to mean he was at least in the top two percent of people worth getting to know.

Before he had even realized it, he was behind the wheel and on his way home. The Old Haunt wasn't too far from where he lived and Castle spent the entire drive on autopilot. He tried to reconcile his feelings about Danny and about Danny and Kate. He didn't dare open the box in the back of his mind labeled "Feelings About Kate". That one was rigged to explode and destroy his sanity.

He slipped the loft key into the lock and a succession of clicks and tumbles came from within. Walking into the living room and setting the keys on an end table, he processed the sight of a wash of red hair draped over the end of the couch. As he neared it, the sleeping form of his daughter became clear.

He brushed one hand over her silky hair and whispered for her to wake up so she could make her way to her comfortable bed.

"Alexis. Pumpkin, wake up."

"Dad? What time is it?"

"About midnight."

"Ugh, Dad. You smell like alcohol."

"I only had a little. I worked the bar most of the night"

"Having delusions of_ Cocktail_ again? Imagining yourself as Tom Cruise?"

"Yes, but taller and significantly less crazy."

Alexis bit her lip and looked straight into his eyes. He knew that look. She wanted something and was afraid to ask for it. Steeling himself for the conversation about why tattoos were a bad idea or what the best brand of condoms were for beginners and why she would never ever be allowed to go to a drug store without supervision, he gave her a look that told her to just spit it out.

"I want to come into the precinct on Monday."

Not what he had expected.

"I don't know, Sweetie. That's more Detective Beckett's call than mine. And no matter how many death scenes you've read and edited over the years, you know I'm a little uncomfortable exposing you to real world murder."

"But, Dad. It's for school and I really, really need it." She took a deep breath and then started talking in that incredibly fast way that only teenage girls are capable of. "I have to write a research paper for my AP Government class. They are demanding that I have at least seven primary sources and there have to be at least THREE different types! I mean, it normally wouldn't be a problem. I've done this a million times. But I just...I can't...I need to get this done, Dad. It's ridiculous. I know they're trying to prepare us for college and all, but we have AP tests coming up soon. Not to mention finals for our non-AP classes. And you know, I also want to have some semblance of a life! But Mr. Davids is not taking any excuses and won't even accept the paper if our cited sources aren't what he's asking for."

Castle could barely keep up. He nodded noncommittally "Mmhmm."

"Anyway. I was just thinking that maybe one of my types of primary source could be an interview with Detective Beckett? Or maybe even the Captain, but I know he's busy, so probably not. I'd take any of the officers in the precinct. Really, Dad. I'm desperate."

"Did you wait up on the couch just to ask me this?"

"Yes."

"And is there a reason you couldn't ask me tomorrow?"

"Well…no. Not really. I just am really stressing about this and I would have liked to just…get this one thing out of the way."

"We can talk about it more tomorrow. I think I'm okay with it as long as you aren't asking to shadow a murder scene or anything. Only crazy people would do that."

She smiled a sweet smile at him and rolled her eyes. "Nope. Just an interview, Dad. That's it, I promise."

"Well, I'll call and ask Detective Beckett tomorrow if it would be okay with her for you to come in."

She threw her arms around him and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou."

And then she was gone, running up the stairs to get into bed. Castle still couldn't believe he had a daughter that could get so stressed out about school stuff that she would let it get to her like this. Castle, himself, had been a good student. He liked to put on a show that he had been a troublemaker (which he had been) who never paid attention in class, but the truth was, he had always liked school. Maybe not school, but learning.

It didn't surprise him that Alexis had such a thirst for knowledge. It was a lot like his own. But teenage Richard Castle never would have gotten so wrapped up in schoolwork and grades. He had been a bit more preoccupied trying to get himself wrapped up in anything wearing a cheerleading skirt. He had had to work much harder to get the girls back then, sans fame and fortune.

He smiled at the funny way life worked out. Now he had all the money in the world and the only girl he wanted didn't really care. Not that he wanted her. No. He was going to keep on with his daily routine of ignoring any inkling of feelings he had towards Kate. Every single emotion he had felt tonight was going to get filed deep into the recesses of his brain in the "Feelings About Kate" box. A box that dangerous hadn't existed since Pandora.

He made his way to his downstairs bedroom and flopped on the bed. Kicking off his shoes over the edge, he pulled the covers over himself fully dressed. He vowed to brush his teeth extra thoroughly in the morning and before he knew it, sleep was blissfully taking him away into a far less complicated and confusing world of dreams.

_A/N: I think this chapter bugs me the most out of all of them. Castle's reaction was…complicated to write. __I feel like he really is a rational guy beneath it all. I want him to realize that there probably isn't anything actually happening between Danny and Kate. His gut reaction is jealousy (just because he's had the experience of having handsome men sweep her away from him twice in the past), but I want his logic to tell him he's being stupid. I think it's more realistic that way? _

_For those of you who nerded out with me about the Green Lantern stuff or are just obsessed with Nathan Fillion (which is everyone, I'm assuming), here is a present! Just type in "Green Lantern Trailer Fan Made" into YouTube and click on the video by jaronpitts._

_I've got TWO Reviews that made my Day! __**AllusionToAnIllusion**__. I can't tell you how many times I've squealed in one of your stories! __And __**SciFiGirl65**__ who told me I was just as talented as Mom and Dad (MommaKristine and Father Vengeance). I know it's not technically true, but it made me squirmy with delight anyway._

_I love every review that I get. Seriously. You guys have me checking my phone every 10 minutes to see if any new ones have come in._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

It was nine o'clock in the morning when Kate knocked on Danny's apartment door. She wasn't nervous exactly, but it had been a while since she had modeled for anybody and it was making her feel just a little more self-conscious this morning than usual. She had found herself completely over-thinking her wardrobe choice and had finally had to stare at herself in the mirror and tell herself to just pick something and go.

She had picked a plain white shirt and comfortable jeans. She would have felt silly showing up in a dress or anything more. Besides, Danny liked to capture a person's essence and she didn't want him to think she was trying to hide hers.

When Danny opened the door she was relieved to see that he had her coffee ready for her and in hand. It was black, but it would do. Castle was still the only person who correctly knew her coffee order. Which was amazing because it wasn't always the same thing. Sometimes she wanted cream and sugar. Sometimes she wanted vanilla syrup. Sometimes she wanted a mocha-frappa-cappa-ino with extra whipped cream. And sometimes she just wanted it black. The truly astounding part was that Castle seemed to be able to predict which one she would want on any given morning. It was like he had some sort of sixth sense that knew exactly what her taste buds craved.

So she couldn't blame Danny for not knowing it wasn't a black coffee day. It was really sweet of him to think of it at all. He ushered her in after a quick hug and directed her to the kitchen counter where cream and sugar sat for her to add in any ratio she desired. She put a bit of each in and then blew on the surface to help it cool faster. She had always been skeptical that the blowing actually did anything to cool it off, but it helped to pass the time when she was waiting for it to reach optimal drinking temperature.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bright white flash and the sound of a shutter clicking. She turned with an annoyed face.

"A camera? Since when are you a photographer?"

"I've always wanted to try it out. Don't be a spoilsport, Cherries. I won't make you pose like senior pictures."

She groaned and rolled her eyes. She heard another click and a flash. She punched him in the shoulder.

"Fine. But you should really wait to take pictures until after I've had my coffee."

"You look great and you know it. Stop complaining. Anyway, this is just for capturing some candid moments, you won't even know they're happening until it's over with. I was actually planning on drawing you for a bit to get warmed up."

She took a brave swallow of the still incredibly hot coffee and winced. "Okay. Where do you want me?"

"Let's start off simple. Why don't you just sit on my window bench and I'll sketch in charcoal from over there." He pointed over to a little wooden folding chair that he had set up near the window seat. It had a large array of artists tools spread out near it and was obviously where he planned to start working from. She made her way to the little window bench and gingerly sat down, not quite knowing what to do with her arms.

"I see it's been a while since you modeled, eh Cherries?"

"Oh shut up. I'll get it."

She brought one of her knees up to a bend and then tucked the other one beneath it. Draping the opposite arm over her knee, she turned her head slightly to play with the light.

She saw Danny grab his gear out of the corner of her eye and then without wasting time she heard the distinct sound of charcoal rasping on the paper. She knew from experience that Danny was quick. He didn't like to give himself time to second-guess his art and it usually worked in his favor. In only about fifteen minutes he was finished with the first piece and asked her if she wanted to see it.

"Wow. You really haven't lost your touch, have you?"

"Really? You think?"

"Definitely. Still talented as ever, Danny boy." He smiled with pride and then set her up in the next pose.

Three hours later and they were both running out of steam. His hand was cramping up and she didn't think she could hold still much longer. She laughed inwardly at the thought of Castle having to hold still for such a long period of time. She doubted he could even go the fifteen minutes for one sketch.

Danny had his twelve new pieces strewn out on the table before him and he was looking over each of them carefully while sipping on some new coffee.

"Why don't we go grab some lunch?"

He looked up at her. "Sure. I could use a break."

They walked down his street and decided to go for simple and cliché, grabbing hot dogs from a vendor near a park.

"What? It's your fourth day back in the city. It would be a crime to go so long without a street dog."

"It's a crime that I'm not exactly sure if they used actual dogs in their street dogs."

"Oh just put it in your mouth and swallow."

"Dirty."

She rolled her eyes. "You and Castle. One of these days you are going to either make my head explode or convert me into one of you. I'm almost hoping for the former."

She took a huge bite out of the hot dog and over exaggerated her delight in it. Flash-Click. Oh, damn. He got a picture.

"I'm gonna break that thing, Danny. At least attempt to get something relatively attractive."

"But this one's funny! You look like a chipmunk."

"One more word and you die."

The afternoon passed with ease as they walked around the park and continued catching up on seven years of missed time together. He did an impromptu production of a monologue from Hamlet while waving a park stick that had her laughing until she couldn't breathe. She was impressing him with her ability to come up with life stories for the many strangers that passed them by as they sat on a bench. Castle's ability had apparently at least partially rubbed off on her as she spun a tale of CIA agents, long lost love, and the secret cure to an unmentionable disease.

All the while, Danny continued to snap random pictures of her and she had stopped protesting. She figured most of them would just end up in a drawer or trashcan somewhere.

Danny knew better. He knew that the pictures he had taken of her laughing and smiling and being so completely and utterly free were precious. They would never be thrown away.

After far more time had passed than they had originally intended, the two decided to head home and draw a bit more before calling it a day. They made quick work of the journey home and before she knew it, Kate was facing Danny in the middle of his living room silently asking with her eyes where he wanted her to go.

"We could do some more on the window seat if you want. I thought those came out really well. The light liked you there."

"We could…but maybe…" She didn't quite know how to word her suggestion. She'd been toying with the idea all day and it fascinated her. It was an interesting proposal and while she wasn't normally shy around Danny, this was something completely new to them. "I was thinking maybe I could do a little…without these on." She made a sweep with her hand up and down her body to indicate her clothes.

Other than his mouth gaping and his eyes getting big, Danny didn't respond.

"I mean…tastefully, of course. Maybe just my back or something. We're adults. And you said it would be professional. I just thought that maybe—"

"Yes. Of course, yes, we can do that." He had seemed to realize that his silence had shaken her confidence. "I was just surprised is all. How about you go into my bedroom and take off whatever you want to and then just use a sheet to cover whatever you want to."

She nodded. That seemed like a safe plan. She was thoroughly intrigued with the idea of posing nude, but the more she thought about doing it in front of Danny, the more she was questioning its wisdom. Having the sheet to put wherever she wanted would be comforting.

Just as she was leaving to head to his bedroom, her phone rang from the counter by the kitchen where she had left it. She walked quickly over to pick it up and checked the caller ID. It was Castle.

"Beckett."

"Well hello there my wonderfully inspirational muse! And how is your Saturday off going?"

"It's fine, Castle. What did you need?"

"Well I wanted to ask you a favor, actually."

"A favor?"

"Yes. A favor. It's not for me, really. It's for Alexis. You like her, remember?"

"Yes. I remember. And what would this favor entail?"

"It's a long story, but she needs an interview or something for something. I don't really remember. The details are a bit hazy for me. Hang on" She heard the rustle of him covering the mouthpiece of his phone and then the muffled yell of "Alexis!"

"Sorry. I'm going to put you on with Alexis. She'll be able to explain it better. And it'll probably be more effective coming from her. She can make anyone do anything. Kind of like you in that sense."

Kate smiled softly at his Castle-style compliment. In the background she barely registered the Flash-Click of Danny's camera capturing yet another candid moment of her life. Soon, she could hear Alexis' approach and eventually her voice came over the line.

"Hello Detective Beckett, how are you?"

"I'm great, Alexis. I hope you're doing well too."

"Just peachy." Kate thought she might have heard Castle squeak in pain in the background, but couldn't be sure. "The truth is I have a giant research paper for my AP government class due soon and the teacher is requiring us to draw from different types of primary sources. The topic is the interaction between military and law enforcement. I was hoping I could interview you about some of your experiences?"

"Oh, Alexis, of course! I would love to help you."

"Really? Oh my gosh, thank you so much! You have no idea how much this is going to help me, Detective. I promise I will make it quick and we can even do it through email if you are too busy to see me."

"I am never too busy to see you, Alexis. Just come by the precinct on Monday. Your dad will let you know if…if I have to be out in the field instead, but why don't we plan on whenever you have your lunch break?"

"Sounds perfect. I have lunch from 12:15-1:00. I won't be late."

"See you then."

"Here's my dad again." Kate could hear the phone being passed back to Castle and soon his voice filled her ear.

"Thanks, Beckett. You've made my daughter very happy. Which makes me very happy. So prepare to be completely overwhelmed by my gratitude on Monday."

"It's nothing, really. She's a good kid."

"Indeed she is. Indeed she is. Until Monday?"

"See ya then, Castle."

They hung up and Kate turned back to Danny. "I'm sorry about that. Castle's daughter, Alexis, needed something."

"No problem. You close with his kid too?"

"Not really. Not yet. I wish I were closer. She really is great and she is Castle's entire world. I'd like to know her better."

"Well it looks like fate is giving you the chance, Cherries. Maybe if you get to know Alexis, she'll be able to convince you of what is so apparent to everyone else."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You and Castle. You aren't just friends or partners or whatever you guys think the appropriate label is. I could tell from a mile away just from how he stands that there is more to it than that. And it's not just him, Cherries. You've got it just as bad."

"Stop it, Danny. I told you that things with Castle are complicated."

"But do they have to be or are you just making them that way? It seems pretty simple to me."

"Ok. I'm going to go get naked in your room. When I'm done, I don't want to hear another word about Castle and me and whatever you think is going on there."

"I don't 'think'. I know."

As she walked away and into his bedroom, she called out behind her "Shut uuuup."

Once the door was closed, Kate suddenly felt nervous all over again. She began removing her clothes slowly, remembering her past. In her brief stint of time as a model, she recalled the constant taking on and off of clothes in front of other people as she changed wardrobe. People would strap measuring tapes around her and squint with their heads tilted as if judging exactly how many imperfections she could possibly have and if she were even worth it.

While most girls developed image issues after prolonged treatment like that, Kate had simply borne it with the same detachment that the fitters and designers themselves employed. She hadn't wanted to be a model for the rest of her life, so the pressure was sort of low for her. She was in it for the spending cash and didn't really care one way or another if someone thought her teeth were too crooked or her arms were too long.

She could still remember her first modeling gig though. The woman in charge had stripped her of all her clothes without even asking and then had just stood back and stared at her in her bra and underwear for entirely too long with a pinched, judgmental look on her face. That had probably been the sealing moment when Kate had known that modeling was definitely not going to be her career choice. She was leaning more towards professional cellist at the time.

The uncomfortable memory was flooding in her mind when she heard the bedroom door knock. She had finished undressing and reached over to wrap the bed sheet around herself.

"Come in."

The door swung open slowly and Danny entered carrying much more than just his charcoal set.

"I thought for this one, we would use acrylic. It'll take longer, but…I just feel like this one should last."

"Okay." She looked around the bedroom. "Where do you want me?" She dearly hoped he wasn't going to suggest the bed. She didn't want the painting to have a porn-y feel to it. He seemed to correctly interpret her hesitance and immediately put her at ease.

"Why don't you just stand over there by the window with your back to me." She did as he asked with the sheet still firmly clenched around her like a security blanket. "Now turn your head to the side so I can see your profile." She, again, did as he asked. "How about I get this part painted and then we can decide the rest. That way you don't have to be…um…exposed the whole time. Plus, I don't want you standing naked in the window in front of the streets of New York for so long. Knowing you, you'd probably get a stalker out of it."

"Oh, you have no idea."

He set to work painting and she let her mind wander. Thoughts of Castle immediately dominated all of the thinking room in her brain. Was it really that obvious that Danny had picked up on it after one day of seeing them together? Was there anything to pick up to begin with, or was Danny just crazy? She had thought that she and Castle had acted relatively normal at the bar. There was a bit of flirtation, but who doesn't do that?

They didn't ever touch or hug or show outward signs of affection, so what was it that everyone was picking up on? She had spent four extremely tiring months trying to bury any feelings she had for Castle and to find that she couldn't even hide them from someone who had only observed them for maybe two hours total was extremely disappointing.

She was so immersed in these thoughts that she hardly heard Danny when he cleared his throat and told her he had finished with that particular portion. The nerves swarmed back to her and she reflexively clenched the sheet just a little bit tighter around her body.

"Why don't you just drop the sheet loosely down your back. Let it hang right above your…your…"

"Ass?"

He let out a sharp nervous laugh, "Yes. That."

She slowly let the sheet fall down her back and reveled in the boldness she felt. She had never been a prude. She was proud of her sexuality and sensuality. She rarely let that side show at work (although it had been coming out more and more around a certain mystery writer) but it was definitely there. She was not afraid of her feminine side and took great pleasure in the reactions she could draw out of men by simply moving her body in the right way.

Her nerves were gone as she heard Danny start to mix more paints, completely lost in his little artist's world. She kept her face in profile so he could get the muscles right in her back and started to wonder exactly what Castle's reaction would be if he caught her in this particular situation.

Those thoughts led to a whole slew of ridiculous fantasies in which Danny was always mysteriously absent. She didn't think of Castle in this way often. She didn't let herself. But with nothing else to occupy her mind, she just couldn't help but imagine how his hands would feel running up her back and then around to her front to take the sheet away from her entirely.

Mid-thought, Danny made a small noise of protest.

"What?"

"You're moving. Stop moving."

A little embarrassed that her fantasy had apparently affected her in the real world instead of just the dream, she quickly tried to remedy the situation. Steadfastly blocking out any more thoughts of Castle's talented hands, she stood and stared blankly at Danny's bedside table. They were losing the light fast and she hoped he was almost done. Her neck was cramping.

"Done!"

"Really?" She was afraid to move.

"Truly. I don't want you to see it yet. I want a few more days with it just to perfect it."

"All that and I don't even get to see it?"

"Yet. You don't get to see it _yet_."

"Fine. Now get out so I can get dressed."

She heard the door close behind him and she scrambled over to where he had left the painting. The door pounded loudly from the outside.

"Don't even think about it, Katherine Beckett. Get your eyes away from that painting."

_A/N: This was an interesting chapter for me. I did a bit of modeling and so I completely identified with what Beckett said about just doing it in the summer because she didn't want to wait tables. That's pretty much what happened to me. I think modeling from the perspective of someone who has no intentions of being a model for a career is completely different from someone who does. The paragraph about her first experience was what happened to me._

_I hope I was able to do justice to the Beckett posing in her nudey suit scene. I have always thought of Kate as having a very complex relationship with her sexuality. I think she's definitely got that daring side that would be completely tempted to pose nude for an artist. I also think she'd probably be very hesitant to do it with someone she considers as her brother. I thought that if I had Danny just be completely professional about it, it would make her a little more comfortable. He's an artist. Nakedness isn't a big deal. Besides, the sheet covered anything important. I'm rationalizing too much, aren't I? I'll just let you guys tell me what you think. I probably won't change it, but I'll take your opinions of Beckett's character into consideration for future scenes…_

_Anyone looking forward to some Alexis/Kate time? Well, you better be, because it's about to take a pretty big role in this story._

_Reviews that made my day: __**GhostWriterLost**__ because she finds jealous men unattractive. I agree. I'm sorry I have been putting you through this. It won't last forever. In the meantime, whenever jealous Castle rears his ugly head, just close your eyes and think of England. And also __**guitar73girl**__ because "Cherries Beckett" is an awesome mafia name. She kills them and leaves a kiss of her cherry lips. _


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I've been a terrible person and haven't disclaimed anything. So...here: DISCLAIM! If I owned Castle, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. I'd be writing Castle. _

Chapter Nine:

Monday afternoon found Kate Beckett seated comfortably in her swivel chair at work. She had a cup of steaming hot coffee next to her and perhaps the smallest stack of paperwork she had seen in weeks. On Sunday, she had received a call from Ryan saying that the tip they had gotten from the uncle had panned out and a confession had been ripped from the lips of the brother.

She hated when a family killed one of their own, but sadly, that was the case in far too high a percentage of the murders she saw. She would have done anything to make her family whole again, and there were people in the world who freely ripped theirs apart. She was hoping today would be a slow day. She hadn't come in until nine and she was hoping to leave without a murder to disrupt the burgeoning summer day.

Alexis would be arriving in an hour for her interview and Kate was actually feeling pretty excited about seeing the girl. She had been greatly impressed by Castle's daughter's ability and willingness to do what was needed, no matter how trivial the job had seemed. Organizing the precinct's "Garage Sale" room, as it was commonly referred to as, had been a boring assignment and Kate had worried that the girl would have been disappointed. But she tackled the task with determination and professionalism and Beckett had been impressed.

She had secretly been keeping an eye open for internships around the precinct that Alexis might be interested in. She had no idea what the girl wanted to do with her future, but she did know from experience that internships like this went a long way on a college application. There was no way she would ever put her out into the field. Kate would never intentionally expose her partner's daughter to some of the things they saw on a weekly basis. She was too young and had somehow managed to preserve some of her innocence despite growing up in New York City. Kate didn't want to be the one to snuff that out.

Castle had yet to show up today. She was assuming he and Alexis had made some sort of plan to carpool during her lunch break. As much as she liked having Castle around on the days consumed by solving murders, she liked his company even more on slow days. He kept things interesting when otherwise they would have been boring as hell.

Like today. She was enjoying the freedom of not having a murder to focus on, but she was not enjoying the lack of anything else to focus on at all. Solitaire on her computer just wasn't cutting it and neither was anything else she had tried thus far. She had debated going down to the archives and pulling out a cold case to reexamine, but she held off for now. There wouldn't be much time to get into it before Alexis showed up. If she was still bored after the girl was gone, she'd reconsider.

Leaning back in her rolling chair, Kate stretched her back and then closed her eyes, just for a moment. The rest felt good. She had slept in, but that had left her feeling a little more lethargic than normal, even though she was well rested. Apparently, her lethargy had a mind of its own, and before she knew it, Kate was napping quietly with her head on the back of her chair.

Castle stepped out of the elevator and into the bullpen with his daughter at his side. She had been a complete chatterbox for the entire ride over and it had kept a smile permanently in the corner of his mouth. It was adorable when Alexis was nervous because she would always try to cover it by talking incessantly about anything and everything.

Alexis had gone suddenly quiet as soon as the elevator doors had opened onto the floor and he knew that her nervousness had found its peak. He heard her take a deep breath to summon the professionalism he knew she was searching for. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shoulders straighten and her chin raise up a bit. There it was. That look of steely determination.

He stopped his observations of his daughter and looked towards Beckett's desk expecting to see her diligently working on some paperwork as always. What he saw instead caused a slow and utterly delighted smile to spread across his face. Alexis seemed to have noticed the deviousness forming in his eyes and so she grabbed his forearm in warning.

"Don't do anything stupid, Dad."

"What ever could you mean?"

"You know what I mean. She is doing me a favor. No tormenting her."

"Fiiine." He sighed the sigh of a tortured soul.

As they neared her desk, Esposito and Ryan came up to meet them. They spoke in whispers as they stood around in a half-circle looking at the sleeping detective.

"How long has she been out?"

"Almost an hour now. She didn't even wake up, when Karpowski dragged a screaming lunatic right by her desk."

"Shouldn't we wake her?" Alexis asked hesitantly.

"I guess we should now that you're here. What do you think? Air horn or tickle?" Ryan was smiling mischievously as he contemplated their options.

"Or you know…maybe we should let Prince Charming unleash his magic. It worked for Sleeping Beauty and Snow White." Esposito was grinning at Castle now, who had the sense to not look too excited at the images flashing through his mind.

He never resisted the opportunity to mess with the guys, however, so he rubbed his hands together in mock preparation and cleared his throat. Stepping around to stand before her chair, he leaned his weight on her armrests and started to bend forward in slow motion. He heard Alexis' tiny gasp and could practically picture Ryan and Esposito's faces.

Suddenly, however, those things ceased to compute.

This was the closest he had been to Kate in longer than he could remember and she had hooked him with some sort of gravitational pull that his muscles just couldn't seem to resist. Forgetting all the reasons that this could quite possibly be the most catastrophic idea in the world, his mind dropped his previous plan to simply mess with the guys. Now it was focused solely on her pretty mouth. Her lips were slightly parted and he could perfectly imagine how they would feel and taste under his.

He had leaned so far in now that his eyes were crossing. The half of his mind that was apparently in control (and insane) at the moment was stalwartly ignoring the screaming protests of his logical side. He was so close he could smell the cherries.

"Not even if you were sucking on a Mento the size of Canada, Castle."

Her eyes were still shut, but she was most definitely no longer asleep. Castle jerked his head back faster than a man his age should have been able to, causing his neck some considerable whiplash damage.

The corners of her mouth were quirked up in the hint of a deeply amused smile, her eyes now open and staring directly into his.

"So is this how you get all those girls, Castle? Wait for them to fall asleep and then pounce?"

"Uh…ummm…uh"

"Because—now, I'm no professional—but I'm pretty sure that might not be entirely legal." Castle swallowed thickly, fearing for his life at the moment. "And do you know what I do with criminals, Castle?"

He shook his head no, but every fiber of his being knew _exactly_ what she did with criminals.

"Really? Well, let me just show you." Reaching into her drawer she pulled out a shining pair of silver handcuffs and a black and deadly gun. Laying the gun on the table, she dangled the handcuffs from her finger. Castle took an instinctive step backwards as she rose from her chair.

"I—I was only kidding around, Beckett. I never woulda done it. I was just freaking the guys out. You know? Like I do?" His voice squeaked and he offered up an apologetic and hopeful smile, looking around at Ryan, Esposito, and his daughter for support.

As soon as he broke eye contact, the next thing he knew was he was twisting about oddly in space and then suddenly slamming into something very, very hard. Beckett had his arm twisted painfully behind his back and his face was smooshed into the table. His other arm was roughly yanked behind his back to join and then he felt the cool press of metal against his skin. Hearing the familiar click of the handcuffs locking into place, he felt Beckett lean over his back to whisper into his ear.

Her lips were brushing their target and despite the uncomfortable position he was in, he felt a shiver of uncontrolled pleasure run through him.

"Is this what you had in mind when you pictured me handcuffing you?"

He had no idea what to say to that, so he remained wisely silent. She let him up from the desk, but did not release his forearm. Dragging him past their audience she smiled casually at Alexis.

"Hi, Alexis. I'll be with you in a second." The girl just nodded, her eyes wide in astonishment and amusement.

Dragging Castle to the break room, she pushed him into a chair.

"Stay," she commanded him.

Moving to shut the doors and close the blinds, she walked back to where he sat petrified in his chair. Standing above him with her arms crossed she stared down at him. His deep blue eyes were absolutely expressing about fifty different emotions and she found each one more entertaining than the last.

Then she took a step forward so that she stood right between his legs and then put her hands on his armrests, leaning in. It was an uncanny reenactment of what Castle had just done to her at her desk. Leaning in impossibly closer so he could feel her breath on his lips, she watched as Castle closed his eyes.

"Castle?"

"Yeah?" he answered breathlessly.

"Don't. Ever. Kiss. Me. Without. Permission."

And with that, she stood up straight and walked right back out into the bullpen, leaving Castle confused, chastised, and thoroughly aroused.

_A/N: That was fun to write. I love almost-kisses. Not as much as ACTUAL kisses, but I could definitely do with more almost-kissing on the show. Just saying. Those two have eye-sex All. The. Time. Why not some faux-kissing? _

_Kate/Alexis galore for the next two chapters. _

_Review That Made My Day: **phnxgrl** ! You are way too observant for your own good. Now shhhhh. Don't ruin it for others... :)_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Without permission. Without Permission Without permission.

There were a ton of thoughts zipping about through Castle's head, but this one was dominating them all. "Without permission" could technically mean never, but the way she had worded it, made it seem like someday there might be permission. Someday she might just ask him to kiss her and he could think of nothing else other than how to get her to let him.

For now, he had completely and totally abandoned his plan to not think of Kate in that way. Right now he could _only_ think of her that way. Her breath had been so warm, a hint of the heat he was sure lay between her lips. Those lips. Oh my god, her _lips_. They had been so tantalizingly close, and pink, and soft. All he could think about was how they would have felt against his own.

He was sitting handcuffed and helpless in the break room and didn't care even a little bit. It was so worth it. Eventually he would have to get free, but for now…for now he had plenty of company with his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair and sighed, replaying the events over and over in his mind. Trying to remember exactly what her lips had felt like on his ear when she had asked him if that was how he imagined her handcuffing him. It wasn't the _exact_ scenario he used to play on loop in his head. But it was a damn fine alternative.

_Without permission._

There was so much hope in that statement. Castle let it fill him and reveled in the feeling that he thought he had long lost. The hope that one day she would end up with him. One day he could kiss her any time he wanted. And those two little words soon became the lifeline that Castle clung to. Hope wasn't lost. Hope had just been hard to find. But now that he had it, he was going to hang on. He wouldn't just bow out. The other guy wasn't going to get the girl this time.

He was going to fight for her.

...

When Kate reentered the bullpen, she ignored the probing gazes of her co-workers. They didn't need to know what went down in there. She liked to mess with the guys as much as Castle did. Walking up to Alexis who was chatting politely with Esposito, she drew her attention away.

"I'm ready when you are. Sorry for the…delay." She smiled and led Alexis back to her desk.

"Oh no problem. I warned him when we first got here not to do anything stupid. Serves him right." Kate laughed at that. She was pretty sure Castle wasn't going to live this one down any time soon.

After she offered Alexis her father's chair, she sat down in her own and faced the teen.

"Where do you want to start?"

"Well I wanted to tell you a little bit more about what I'm looking for from you. It's not much really. I mostly just want to know your opinions on the subject and maybe some of your personal experiences."

"I can do that."

"Can I use one of these?" She held up a recording device.

"Of course."

"Great. I think I'm just going to start by asking the big question."

"Shoot."

"Why aren't the police direct members of the military?"

Kate rocked her chair backwards a little as she thought about the question. She knew her opinion on the subject but wasn't quite sure how to word it.

"There's a reason we separate military and the police: one fights the enemy of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."

Alexis nodded and seemed to be trying to take in her answer, examining her words very closely.

"Too much power in one place?"

"That's part of it. It's happened before throughout history. The people and their rights need to be protected, even if from their own governments. If the military has the guns and makes the laws, then there is absolutely nothing to stop them from becoming a government under martial law. Whoever has the biggest guns wins. It's important to separate the law makers and enforcers from those with the physical power."

"But the police have physical power. They have guns."

"That's very true."

"So what's stopping the police from initiating martial law?"

"Sometimes it seems like not much. I've seen too many dirty cops that think that their badge and gun makes them above the law. Makes them able to interpret the law however serves their own opinions."

"So it's all about balancing the power."

"Yes. If we were all one unit, things would not end well. We need to be able to separate foreign and domestic protection of the people."

"Do the military and the police ever work together? What's that relationship like?"

"I have never had the experience of working directly with the military, so I can't really answer to that. I do know that it happens. We've come close here at the precinct, but usually we will work with government bureaucracies like the CIA or FBI if there is need for collaboration on a case."

"So the separation between the two in your experience has been almost absolute?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. Our responsibilities are similar, but they rarely overlap."

"Well, I don't really have any more questions for now."

"Oh! That was it? Wow, you were right. That was easy."

"I didn't want to take up too much of your time. I know how little of it there can be." Alexis looked a bit panicked as she said this, and Kate was picking up on the vibe. She reached across the desk and laid her hand over Alexis'.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

The girl sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Everything's…fine. I'm just getting a little overwhelmed, I guess. It seems like everybody in my life wants something from me and…I dunno. I feel like I'm running out of things to give! I only have so much time and energy, you know! Normally I can handle school and activities and everything, but this semester, I just feel like things are slipping out of my control."

She looked almost on the verge of tears and Kate squeezed her hand comfortingly. "It's okay to not be able to handle everything that life is throwing at you. You don't have to do it alone."

Alexis nodded, but looked down to hide her burgeoning tears. "I'm so sorry, Detective Beckett. I can't believe I'm unloading this on you."

"Please call me Kate. And don't worry about it. Sometimes you just have to talk about it." She stood up. "Hang on just one second." Walking quickly into the break room where she had left Castle, she stared at the man who was sitting exactly where she had left him.

Walking around behind him, she unlocked his handcuffs.

"Go buy us all some lunch."

Castle, whose mind was still stuck on thoughts of kissing her, took a moment to follow her words.

"What?"

"Go get us some lunch. Alexis is getting hungry."

"I was planning on taking you both out for lunch as a thank you."

"It seems the interview is going to run a bit longer, so we can't. Just get outta here and grab us some lunch, please. Before we starve."

Castle smiled in submission. "Your wish is my command." He left quickly towards the elevators after that and then Kate stuck her head out the door and called for Alexis.

They made themselves comfortable at the table and then Kate leaned back in her chair.

"Alright. Let it out."

"Huh?" The girl was genuinely confused.

"Just vent everything that's bugging you and I guarantee it will help."

For the next ten minutes, Kate just listened to her talk. She remembered exactly how stressed she had been in that time in her life and she had only been involved in about half the activities that Alexis was.

There was a brief lull in Alexis' rant.

"It seems to me you need some sort of distraction."

"I don't have time for a distraction."

"Well, I can't just sit here and listen to you breaking down without helping somehow. How can I help?"

Alexis paused and then shook her head. "There's nothing really you can do." It seemed like she was holding something back, and Kate sensed it.

"Alexis. Whatever it is, I'll do it. Nothing is too much, I promise."

"But you've already helped me with my interview and now your taking your time to talk me down from the ledge. I can't ask you to do more for me."

"I just told you that you could. Please?"

"Well…I guess…I…"

"Just say it."

"I need a dress."

Kate parroted her sentence slowly back to her, trying to figure out what Alexis was asking of her. "You need a dress?"

"I need a dress for my concert."

Alexis had told her about the violin concert she had in two weeks. It was one of the many things stressing her out. The whole occasion was incredibly formal and Alexis was expected to play a very long and very difficult violin solo in front of a large crowd. She had the song nailed, but her teacher had gone to France from now until the concert and the lack of musical guidance was causing her to second guess her mastery of the song.

"OK. Let's go shopping for a dress. This definitely does not need to be one of the things stressing you out. It'll be fun!"

A huge weight seemed to lift from Alexis. "Thank you, Kate. None of my friends wanted to go with me because they are all just as stressed out. And my dad, well…he has good taste, but he doesn't know how to tell me the truth when I try things on. He thinks I 'look beautiful in everything'."

"And I am sure he is absolutely correct. But I promise to give you constructive criticism."

Alexis smiled. "Thank you."

"Stop saying thanks. I'm actually kind of excited to go. I don't really get to shop that often."

"But your clothes are so cute!"

"My entire wardrobe is a collection I have accumulated over many years. It takes a lot for me to buy new clothes. Although I do have a weakness for shoes."

"Well, you have fabulous taste. I wish we were the same size. I'd kill to wear some of your clothes."

Kate laughed. "You don't want to be as tall as me. Too hard to find guys tall enough to handle me."

Alexis laughed. "I dunno. My dad is pretty tall. You could let him _handle_ you…"

"Alexis!"

The girl laughed even harder and the sound filled the air like chiming bells. At that moment, Castle walked in. Shooting a pleased but questioning glance at Beckett, he walked over to his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Kate answered quickly.

"Just teasing Kate about something."

"Well, its good to see you smiling."

"Yeah. You can thank Kate for that. She's a life saver."

Castle raised an eyebrow and looked over at his partner. "She's saved my own quite a few times. But I'm assuming you didn't mean it in the literal sense."

"Of course not, Dad." Then standing and turning to Kate. "Is tomorrow afternoon okay? It's a teacher's day and we don't have school. I was going to study, but—"

Not wanting the girl to have to explain her stresses again and knowing how difficult it could be to need to have someone to lean on, Kate interrupted, "Tomorrow sounds perfect."

Alexis beamed at her. "Great. I'm going to go say goodbye to the other detectives." She left her father and Kate together in the break room. Castle walked over towards Beckett and leaned against the table, facing her.

"For whatever you did, thank you."

"Oh, it was nothing."

"No really." He grabbed her hand of the table and held it in his own. They rarely expressed themselves physically and Kate held her breath at the feeling of his large warm hand around hers. "Thank you. She hasn't laughed or smiled like that in weeks."

"She's just stressed. I let her vent it to me."

"Sounds like you did a little more than that. What are you guys doing tomorrow?"

Kate looked down, suddenly a bit nervous. She wasn't sure if Castle would be okay with her spending a large chunk of time with Alexis. She knew exactly how protective he was of his daughter and knew that he hadn't even let Gina get close to her when they had been _married_.

"I told her I would go shopping with her tomorrow." Castle didn't say anything and Kate couldn't read his expression. "Listen, if you are uncomfortable or anything, I can just tell her I have to work. I was going to take the day off to—"

"You were going to take the day off?"

"Yeah." She paused trying to decipher the look in his eyes. "If I overstepped I'm sorry. She just seemed like she really needed someone to just…"

"No. No. You didn't overstep." He took a deep breath and Kate caught the hint of a very strong emotion in his eyes. "What you're doing is…amazing. You are amazing."

Now Kate was blushing and she slowly drew her hand out of Castle's. If he was going to say these kinds of things, he couldn't also be holding her hand. It was beyond the lines they had drawn out.

"I like Alexis a lot and I think she needs this." Pausing and tilting her head ruefully in thought she added, "And you know what? I think _I_ need this too."

They smiled at each other and she knew that he would never deny Alexis something she needed. "Well far be it from me to deny you anything you need."

_A/N: I got one of Kate's quotes about martial law from BsG. I totally nerded out this semester and started watching it. Let's take a moment to ackowlege the fact that I know absolutely nothing about the military or law enforcement or how they work together. I realized this when I started to write the interview scene. Just take everything with a grain of salt and recognize it as the fiction that it is. _

_Please review! I love love love reading them. They have been keeping me sane as I finish writing my thesis which is 175 pages and counting. Of complete crap, but whatever. I have to defend it on Friday and that will determine my entire FUUUUUTURE! So review. It'll take my mind off it. Hope you keep reading. It starts getting to the really, really good stuff in the next 6 chapters. They made my sister squeal when she read them. If you knew my sister, you'd know she doesn't squeal often. Or even read Castle fan fiction. So I felt pretty good. _

_Review that made my day? **angel-junkie**. I think I had left you a gushing review on your story about 10 minutes before you reviewed mine! I'm glad you liked it enough to read it 5 times (even once is awesome)._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Kate pulled up to Castle's apartment in a cab and stepped out. Telling the driver to just wait at the curb for a bit and keep the meter running, she pulled out her phone and called Alexis' cell.

"Hi, Kate! Are you here?"

Kate leaned back against the side of the taxi and answered. "Yeah. I've got a cab down here waiting to take us wherever we want."

There was a pause in which Kate could hear a slight scuffle in the background. "Okay, I'll be right down." She seemed to be distracted and Kate was wondering what was going on, when she heard Castle's distinct voice in the background.

"Is it Kate? Is she here?"

He sounded way too excited and Kate could perfectly picture what his face looked like right now. The thought made her smile. He was probably trying to push his ear against Alexis' phone to listen in.

"Alexis? Put your dad on." She heard the phone being passed and then Castle's voice came over the line crystal clear.

"Well hello there, Detective. Come to take my daughter away from me?"

"I'd invite you, but I don't think you'd enjoy all the seedy male strip clubs I'm planning on taking her to."

"Don't even joke, Beckett."

"Fine, fine. We will skip the strippers and just head straight to a café and spend all day talking about you."

"No! That's worse. Take her to go see Hans and Fabio flex their pecs."

She laughed and then switched the actual reason she had wanted to talk to him on the phone. "What time do you want her home by?"

"I guess that's up to her."

"Ok, then. Send her down to me."

"Sure thing."

"Oh, and Castle?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll be sure to slip Fabio a $20 for you right in the front of his—"

"Gah!—" The phone line went dead and Kate couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. She loved teasing Castle. It never got old and he always played straight into her hand. A few moments later, Alexis exited the building and came to give her a short friendly hug before they both got into the cab.

Alexis directed the cabbie to take them to a boutique uptown. Kate paid the cab driver and they walked into the store. The little bell tinkled overhead and like one of Pavlov's dogs, Kate immediately thought of Remy's with Castle, and how he always touched her lower back when they went through that particular doorway.

She looked around the store and saw quickly that it was overflowing with absolutely gorgeous dresses. It might end up being a little harder than she thought to help Alexis pick the right one. They all seemed so beautiful.

Fingering the lace overlay of one with the colors of a sunset, she caught a glimpse of the price tag and quickly withdrew her hand like it had been burned. _Holy hell!_

Alexis caught her reaction and smiled. "Yeah, it can be a bit pricey here. But the dresses always fit me perfectly and it's one of Dad's favorite places."

She looked over at Kate who still had a shell-shocked appearance around her eyes. Feeling slightly guilty or like she had to explain herself she continued on.

"I don't splurge very often. Dad hardly ever gives me his credit card. I think he thinks it helps me stay grounded. He's probably right, but I can't see myself wanting to buy much anyway even if he did. I've already got most of what I want."

"Alexis, you don't have to explain. These dresses are beautiful and you absolutely deserve to wear one of them. I bought a Herve Leger dress last year that was way outside my budget, but I don't regret it one bit. The look on your Dad's face was completely worth it."

Alexis laughed and seemed to lighten with relief. "Good. I don't want you to think I'm spoiled or anything."

"Trust me, Alexis. I don't think anything of the kind. Now lets start grabbing some dresses for you to try on. You look like a 2?"

"Most of the time."

Kate and Alexis spent about 15 minutes walking around the store and picking out dresses that looked like they had the potential to be "the one". Kate thought every dress would look amazing on the beautiful teenager and had to physically stop herself from grabbing every single one in the store. Finally, Alexis stepped behind the curtain and commenced the marathon of trying on an endless stream of dresses.

Sitting on a plush ottoman outside the dressing room, Kate waited for her to get the first dress on. A few minutes later, she came out in a royal blue dress that flared out at the hips. The color was striking, but something about it just didn't seem right.

"I think it might be just a little too low cut for this occasion. Your dad might kill me if I let you walk out of here with that one."

"Yeah. I don't quite have the bust to fill it out anyway." She looked disappointedly down at her chest.

"Trust me. As someone who has gone throughout her entire life with a less than ample bosom, it's not the only thing that counts."

"Really? Because right now, it seems like it's all that guys want."

"I bet Ashley doesn't feel that way."

"Ashley is…different. He's the exception."

"You only need one exception. Just one guy to think you're perfect the way you are."

"Yeah. I guess that's true. But it would still be nice to be attractive to other guys too, you know? I mean. I'm not dying for male attention or anything, but…"

"It feels good to be wanted. I know."

Alexis smiled, glad that Kate understood. "Yeah. I'm just not what guys are looking for, though."

"I don't think that's true at all. You are incredibly beautiful and smart and funny. I'm sure they see all that. And if they don't quite yet, they will. Right now, they are consumed by hormones and peer pressure. Give it some time."

Alexis swiped her hands down the front of the blue dress. "I'll take your word for it. It's nothing I haven't heard from my dad yet, but you are a bit more convincing. Less biased."

"Now go try on the next dress. Do the green one next."

Alexis went inside and shuffled the curtain shut. A few moments later she had the green dress on. Stepping out, Kate looked her up and down, the green made her hair look incredible.

"That one looks good."

"Good?"

"Yeah."

"But not great?"

"Your hair looks fantastic but it's making you look a bit pale."

"Ah. The curse of a redhead."

She went back into the dressing room. They continued on like this for almost a half hour until finally Alexis called out from behind the curtain.

"Kate? Could you help me with this one? I can't reach all these tiny little buttons."

Kate stood and slowly entered the small space. Alexis was wearing a charcoal grey silk dress that fell right below her knee. It was hanging loosely on her now and she turned around exposing her back to Kate. There were about twenty buttons going all the way up and Kate immediately started in on them.

"Thanks. I can handle zippers in almost any place, but I just can't do buttons behind my back."

"Well that's what friends are for. To reach the hard to reach buttons."

"Are we friends?"

"I'd like to be."

Alexis turned her head and smiled at Kate. "Me too. This is fun."

Kate had reached the bottom of Alexis' hair and gathered it up to put over her shoulder gently.

"I'm glad you are having fun. I am too." She finished doing up the back of the dress and slowly pulled Alexis hair back to its former position. Running her hands through it to make it fall nicely. "Your hair is so perfect! I'm jealous."

"Are you kidding me?" The girl said, turning around. "You're hair is pretty much the most amazing hair in the world. I mean, I liked it short, but now that it's all long it looks absolutely perfect."

"You're exaggerating."

"No! I'm not. I wish I could make those soft curls like yours. People always have hair like that on TV, but I just can never figure out how to do it."

"Never trust TV hair. They've got professional stylists to make them look pretty. I can teach you my tricks later, if you want."

"That would be awesome. You are so cool, Kate. Why have we never done this before?"

Kate laughed and thought about it. "I have no idea. We should make up for lost time while we can, though."

Finally stepping back and looking at the dress Kate was blown away.

"This is the one."

"You think?"

"Yep. It's perfect. Sophisticated, but not stuffy. Long enough to wear on stage without showing everything underneath it. I think this color is actually really working for you too. It's not drawing any attention away from you; it's accenting the beauty you already have. You have to get it."

Alexis was blushing furiously by the end. "Ok. Sounds like this is the one."

They paid for the dress and then left. Alexis walked out of the store with the bag in hand and a spring in her step. The day was perfect and sunny and she didn't want to go home yet. She knew she had about a thousand things to do, but it had been so long since she had unwound, she just couldn't bring herself to wind back up again.

Noticing the girl's happiness, Kate immediately read her perfectly.

"How about we don't go home quite yet. I know you have work to do, but I just don't want this to end."

Alexis was glad that the detective had said it first. She smiled brightly and turned to Kate.

"Where should we go next?"

Kate linked her arm with Alexis'. "Oh, I dunno. Two girls in New York City? The possibilities are endless."

…..

They ended up choosing one of Kate's favorite cafés. The Spanish lattes were to die for and they ordered two to stay. Sitting at a table outside to watch the people walk by, they enjoyed a comfortable silence, picking at the salad they had chosen to split.

"So when is your concert?"

"In two Saturdays. Mrs. Limpeski, my teacher, doesn't come back from Europe until the Friday though."

"She is missing the whole two weeks before the concert? That's an odd thing for a teacher to do. Kind of…irresponsible."

"Yeah. She is touring with a small group. An opportunity she just couldn't pass up. I can't blame her, though. I'd love to go to Europe someday."

"Just ask your dad. I'm sure he'd love to take you."

"Yeah. I'm sure he would...I'd rather go with friends or by myself, though." She looked up quickly, "I mean. Don't get me wrong. I love my dad. He is the most important person in my life. I just wish…"

"You want to spread your wings a little. I get it."

"Exactly. I'm almost 18 and I feel like the most sheltered person in the universe. I've never been anywhere without my dad."

"Your dad will probably kill me for saying this, but I think traveling abroad would be good for you. You know I went to Kiev to study for a summer and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I also went to Paris with my friend Danny right after college. That was amazing."

"You've had such an incredible life. I wish I could be more like you."

"I've had my fair share of adventure, that's true. But you shouldn't try and be just like me. You should live your own life. Make your own adventures."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It can be. You just have to be open to opportunities."

They finished up their food and lattes, but refrained from leaving the café. After a few hours had passed with the two just talking about absolutely anything that came to mind, Alexis sighed.

"I should probably get home. It's going to be dark soon and I need to practice my violin. The song is seriously stressing me out. I thought I had it down, but now every time I play it, something makes me stumble."

"I know how you feel."

"You do?"

Kate smiled and leaned in. "Don't tell your dad. It's one of the few secrets I've been able to actually keep." She looked at the young girl whose attention was solely on her. "I can play almost anything with strings." She leaned back again and waited for the questions to come.

"You can what!"

"I can play pretty much any string instrument. Cello, violin, viola, guitar. All of them. I started when I was really young and I sort of just fell in love with them."

"Wow. I can't even seem to master _one_ of them."

"I'm sure you're wonderful. Your dad sure thinks so."

"I guess. Do you think maybe…would you…"

"Just ask me, Alexis. I told you that you never have to hesitate with me."

"Well, I've just been in such a funk with this song and Mrs. Limpeski hasn't been around to help me shake out of it. Maybe you could come over and help me? I had no idea you could play and dad's always been worthless with a bow in his hands."

"I'd love to help you. It's been a while since I've played the violin, but I will do what I can."

"Which one was your favorite?"

"Instrument? The cello. Definitely. Although the guitar is a close second."

"Why don't you bring it with you?"

"Yeah? Okay I will."

"Hopefully this will help stop my nerves. Maybe playing with you can make the violin fun again."

"Are you nervous about the actual concert?"

"Yeah, a little. This audience will be so much bigger than anything I've ever done before."

"Tell you what. When I come over, we can make it a sort of dress rehearsal. You can put your dress on and get all pretty and then we can pretend it's the real deal. Sort of give it a dry run. Break in the dress."

"Only if you do it with me."

"Do what with you?"

"Get dressed up and play. I'll feel ridiculous by myself."

Kate furrowed her eyebrows. "It'll only be in front of me."

"Please? It'll be fun." Alexis all but stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. The resemblance to her father was uncanny.

Kate gave in. "Only if your dad isn't home."

"I think I'll be able to get him out of the house. I can be pretty convincing when I want to be." She smiled deviously.

"So I have gathered."

….

It was dark by the time they reached Kate's apartment. They had called Castle as they left the café and he had told them that he was on their side of town and would meet them at Kate's place so she wouldn't have to spend cash on a cab all the way across town.

After she unlocked her door and let them both in, Kate asked Alexis if she could get her anything to drink. Alexis declined and put her bag down on the couch.

"When did my dad say he'd be here?"

"Probably in about ten minutes."

"It's such a nice night out. Maybe we could wait outside for him?"

"Sure. There is a little garden across the street from here. Why don't you text him that that's where we'll be."

Alexis beamed at her. "Sounds good."

They made their way back down the stairs and across the street. It was a small New York garden. One that residents nearby were free to plant their own flowers to take care of. Apparently the people in Kate's vicinity had quite the green thumb because it seemed to be overflowing with various flora. Alexis immediately headed for a small wooden bench and sat down. Kate followed and they both tilted their heads back to enjoy the night.

There was a bit of a chill in the air and Alexis leaned into Kate's side to share her warmth. Kate hesitantly put her arm around her, but when Alexis didn't resist, she relaxed into the position. They sat admiring the beautiful flowers and the crisp air. It seemed like the perfect ending to a very nearly perfect day.

"I'm really glad we got a chance to spend the day together. Now I know why my dad likes being at the precinct so much. You are pretty much amazing."

"You're not so bad yourself, Lex."

Alexis smiled to herself at that. She didn't even think Kate realized she had called her 'Lex'. Out of all the nicknames that flew around her house, Lex had never been one of them. Somehow it sounded right coming from the detective. Alexis liked it.

After a few more minutes relaxing into each other, they heard footsteps approaching. Kate knew the footstep pattern like the back of her hand and didn't even need to look up to know it was Richard Castle. She nudged Alexis to clue her in on her dad's arrival.

"Hey dad."

"Hey sweetie. Have a good time?" He was standing back away from the two, watching them with the oddest look on his face. Although he was talking to Alexis, it seemed he couldn't take his eyes off Kate. She, herself, was staring at the sky.

"Yeah, it was great." Alexis looked between the two adults and seemed to sense the distinct vibe. "I'm just going to run upstairs and grab my dress. Kate, can I have your key?"

Kate dug around in her pocket and pulled out her keys. "Here you go. Be safe crossing the street."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Honestly. Between the two of you, you'd think I was seven." And with that, she was gone, leaving Kate and Castle alone in the garden.

_A/N: Everyone? Try not to pee your pants in the next chapter. And thank you fro reviewing everybody! It's really fun to read what people pick up and how they react to certain things. Also, thanks for just reading in general, folks! It's so super cool to have my little traffic counter go up. Eeeeee!_

_Review that made my day was from __**UndoItx13**__. PLEASE DON'T DIE! I hope this was enough detail for you with the Bexis bonding (I made that little blurred hybrid name up just now. Who approves?). _


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

It was a summer's night and the smell of the old rose bush was as heavy as rain. Castle had seen Kate in all different types of settings. In the car during a stakeout, under the fluorescent lighting of the interrogation room, lit by the flash of a strobe light in a dark club, and in the warm summer sun staring down at a crime scene. He thought she was absolutely beautiful in each and every one of them, but tonight…tonight she was radiant.

It was the way the moonlight reflected off her face. Or perhaps she was the one casting light upon the moon, he would never be certain. She was utterly eyepopping, heartstopping, and breathtaking. He couldn't seem to make his feet move forward, his mind hoping with all its might that the moment wouldn't end and he could just stare at her forever. Just take in every inch of her in the soft moonlight in this fragrant garden.

"Castle, stop staring." She hadn't taken her eyes off the moon, but somehow she knew he was staring at her.

"Can't help it." She looked over at him now, questioningly.

He walked over to the little wooden bench she sat on and debated sitting next to her. Her arm was still spread over the back of the bench and she showed no signs of moving it. As much as he would love to have her arm around him, he didn't think she would be as receptive to the idea. He chose instead to sit on the ground at her feet.

Resting his back against the seat of the bench, he ran his palm over the bricks on the ground. Thick, green moss grew between each one and it offered the perfect outlet for his fingers' attention. Stroking it lightly he tried to think of an appropriate conversation starter. Something other than _My god, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life._

"How was your day?"

Kate didn't respond immediately. He turned his head back up to her and saw that she was once again staring at the moon. She took a deep breath and Castle thought that she almost looked sad from the angle he was at.

"Your daughter is amazing."

Castle stopped twisting his neck to see her and looked straight in front of him again. "I know. It can sneak up on you, huh? Sort of take your breath away."

"Exactly. She's just so…" While Kate searched for the right word, Castle rearranged himself so his side was now pressed against the bench and his arm laid bent on the seat. He could now look at her freely without twisting his neck like an owl. Kate finally found her word, but she revealed it quietly, almost reverently "Light."

He couldn't agree with her word choice more. He laid his chin on his hand and gazed up at his detective's luminous face. Everyone had their best lighting. Castle had been told his was around a campfire. But Kate's was definitely the moon. She looked ethereal.

Even though the sounds of the city still surrounded them, they seemed faint in Castle's ears. All he could hear were crickets, his own breathing, and Kate's voice. She spoke again, still staring at the full, white orb in the sky.

"My mother and I used to go moon chasing."

He loved these moments. The ones where she would share with him a little piece of what made her Kate Beckett; what made her so extraordinary. He didn't speak for fear that she would stop.

"When the moon was full, we'd drive out together away from the lights of the city and try and find the best view possible. It started when I was five or six and we never really stopped. Out of everything I have of her, out of all the memories, those are probably my favorites. She was so beautiful in the moonlight."

Castle wanted to tell her everything he felt about her right then at that moment. Wanted her to know she was beautiful in the same way as her mother. Wanted to taste the silver moonlight on her lips.

But Kate was a million miles away and he didn't want her to have to come back yet. He wanted her to keep sharing with him. Keep staring at the moon that was somehow able to coax out her feelings better than he ever had been.

"She was convinced that the moon could show our truths. The darkness of night gives us the courage to be who we really are, and the light from the moon will let you share it with others."

There was a long silence that reigned in the garden for a few uncountable heartbeats before Castle spoke.

"Thank you for sharing a bit of your truth with me tonight. It—you—really mean a lot to me."

Kate looked down at her partner who sat on the ground at her feet. His legs were bent and lying against the eclectic brick pattern that covered the near area. The light was reflecting brightly off the tips of his hair making her fingers itch to touch it. In moments like these, when her guard was down, it was hard to pretend she hadn't already had the experience of running her fingers through his thick, soft hair.

She could remember exactly how it felt, and tonight she wanted nothing more than to touch it again. Maybe it was the moon taking effect on her, but Kate had lost almost all sense of control. She could feel her hand lifting off the bench of it's own accord. Before she knew it, the very tips of her fingers were brushing against the very tips of his hair. She pushed it gently back from his forehead, a vain effort since it fell immediately back to its prior position. She smiled very softly at its stubbornness.

"Thanks, Castle. You mean a lot to me too." She removed her hand from its hovering position near his head and set it down on her lap. "Did you want to sit up here? I could make room. I know your old bones probably aren't loving it down on the ground."

He stared at her face watching her hair fall down over her cheeks in curls. The moon was casting a sort of back-glow halo around her and the entire moment was almost too much for him to handle. She had touched his hair. She had brushed her fingers right over his hair and didn't look like she regretted it at all.

"I'm enjoying myself down here, Kate. It's rather nice." The truth was he was scared to go up to her level. He knew if he did, he would kiss her. And then where would they be? The unknown was almost terrifying to him now that it seemed within grasp. He wanted it more than anything in the world, but at the same time, he wanted to preserve this particular precious moment. No, no. It was far better for him to stay down here, where his lips wouldn't find hers and ruin something that was already perfect.

"Well then, I guess I'll just join you down there."

_So much for that plan._

She slid off the bench gracefully and sat next to him on the cold red bricks.

"You're right. It's nice down here." She looked into his eyes now and Castle's heart almost broke free from the prison of his ribs. It seemed to want nothing more than to completely meld itself to Kate's and never let go.

He merely nodded, unable to form words when her pink lips were so close to his and her soft hair was tickling his shoulder. This had to be heaven. No, wait. Two soulmates in the most perfect garden in the world? It was Eden. Complete with it's own irresistible temptation in the form of Kate Becket's lips.

Tentatively, he raised a hand towards her face. He knew she had just done the same for him, but that had seemed more like an unconscious gesture. This was definitely a conscious decision. His palm was sweating a bit and he felt like an insecure teenager about to have his first kiss.

She didn't make any sudden moves to break his fingers so he used them to gently touch one of the curls that fell like a silk ribbon by her cheek. He followed it all the way down to where it ended and was sad to see it part from his hold. He looked up from where his fingers had dropped the lock of hair and tried to meet her eyes. They were fixed on his lips.

What felt like twice the normal volume of blood suddenly rushed to his head and he could think of absolutely nothing more than kissing her. Her eyes were now flickering back and forth between his lips and his eyes and he could see them darkening with desire. Her lips slowly parted and the tiniest flick of her tongue against her lower lip had him practically attacking her right there.

But he moved slowly. He leaned in at a glacial pace, trying to maintain eye contact for as long as he could before he was absolutely forced to look down at her lips. She was only about three inches away and her eyes had closed entirely.

He heard a small noise to the side somewhere, but it didn't register in his brain as significant. The tiny gasped "Oh!" on the other hand, had him springing away from Kate like he was on fire. Which was almost how he felt.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…interrupt. I'll just go over th—"

"No, no, Alexis. You aren't interrupting anything." Kate spoke first standing up quickly from her seated position on the mossy bricks. "We were just…we were just…"

"Saying goodbye. And wondering what had taken you so long," Castle filled in for her.

"Oh. I went to the fifth floor instead of the fourth. Took me forever to realize I was trying to use the key on the wrong door." Alexis still looked a little awkward about the situation she had found them in and was studiously avoiding eye contact as she spoke.

Eager to pacify her unease, Kate stepped forward and initiated a hug. It was something she rarely did, but with Alexis, it didn't feel at all as forced as usual.

"Thanks for hanging out with me today, Lex. I'm gonna head inside so you can get home and sleep. And I do mean sleep. No studying late into the night."

"Ok. Fine." Alexis rolled her eyes, but was secretly pleased that Kate cared so much about her wellbeing.

"Oh, so you'll listen to her but not me?" Castle faux-complained from his now standing position in the garden.

"_She's_ not saying it just so I'll be free for another epic Guitar Hero battle."

"Ah. I see your point."

Alexis looked back at Kate. "When should we get together for," she looked over at her dad and paused, "…our other thing? With the things and the thing?" She knew describing it like that would absolutely pique her father's curiosity.

"How about Friday night? Unless you already have plans?"

"Friday is good for me. See you then?"

"I'll be there. Make sure you get this guy out of the house first though." She jabbed her thumb in Castle's direction. He looked like he was trying to crack the DaVinci code, attempting to figure out exactly what was being planned.

"Wait, what exactly are you two doing? Why do I have to be out of the house? Are you throwing a party?"

"No parties, Castle. Just some girl time."

"_More_ girl time? How much of that could you possibly need? You're both too girly already." His statement was followed quickly by a squeal of pain as Kate grabbed his ear and pinched with her nails. "I take it back! I take it back. You are most definitely NOT girly. Apples! Apples!"

Kate released him and smiled to Alexis. "See you Friday?"

"See you Friday."

With that, Kate walked out of the garden, pausing at the gate to look back at the father and daughter whispering about something. They were only about twenty feet away, but she couldn't hear them. Remembering her keys, she spoke loudly, interrupting their little whisper-fest.

"Alexis. Toss me my keys?"

The redhead threw her the keys and Kate snagged them one-handed out of the air.

"See ya tomorrow, Castle. Don't forget my coffee."

"Never do."

* * *

><p><em>AN: The thing about moon chasing is a true story for my mom and me. She would even wake me up and put me in the car in my pajamas to take me to go chasing the moon. We lived in a place with no hills and lots of trees, so it was an adventure trying to actually get a good view of it. Then we'd park the car and have conversations that I remember to this day. I told her about my first crush on one of our moon chases and she told me about how my dad proposed. The quote about the moon showing our truths is also her. I live far away from her now while I'm at college, so we don't get to chase the moon like we used to._

_Also, I hit 100 reviews! Wooooooooooo! This is so cool! It was sliiiiightly dampened by also receiving my first negative review, but oh well! All reviews are good reviews, right? Anyway! A big fat thank you to everybody reading! _

_The first line of this chapter (and the summary for the story) is a quote from the artist, Brian Andreas. I absolutely LOVE him. More than is normal. Every single one of you should go check out some of his quotes. _

Review that made my day? **AllIsFairInLoveAndWar** for tipping me off about the urban dictionary definition and amazingly appropriate example of "eye sex". Personally I think Castle and Beckett are more "eye make lovers", so I'd like to amend my previous statement :)

Happy 4/20. Don't do anything Beckett would arrest you for.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

"I almost kissed him."

The other end of the line was filled with distinct shuffling and the muffled sound of a groan.

"Kate? What time is it?"

"It's midnight, Grandpa," she teased Danny about his need to be in bed early. Then after a pause she added again, "I almost kissed him."

"Who? Castle?"

"Yeah." She leaned back into the pillows on the bed that had been so unconducive to thoughts of sleep for the past hour.

"Why 'almost'? Why didn't you go through with it?"

She knew the answer to this. She knew because she hadn't stopped thinking about it since she had left the garden. The truth was, there was absolutely nothing that had stopped her from kissing Castle except for the unexpected arrival of his daughter.

"Alexis interrupted. That's the only thing that stopped me." She took a deep breath and exhaled into the receiver on the phone. "I wanted to, Danny. I wanted to kiss him. I would have kissed him."

"So what's the problem? Just do it the next time you see him."

"I can't."

"Can't or are too chickenshit?"

"It's complicated."

"You keep saying that. But from what I've seen, it seems pretty damn simple."

"Everything would change."

"Isn't that the idea?"

"No! I need him to be my partner and my friend! I can't lose that."

Danny sighed, resigning himself for the moment. He couldn't argue with her about it over the phone, she was obviously too scared to make the first move in the relationship. Even though it was clearly what she wanted more than anything else, despite her protestations.

"Ok. We'll drop it for now. What are you going to do when you see him tomorrow?"

"I haven't decided yet. I guess I'll just play off how he acts."

"That could end poorly. A hundred bucks says _he's_ gonna play off how _you _act."

"Fine. My Plan B will be to just act like nothing has changed." _Like he didn't look at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. Like I hadn't tasted his breath on my lips. Like his fingers hadn't played with that strand of my hair._

"Ha! Well, good luck with that."

"It'll work. It has to work. Besides…if we were to hypothetically start a relationship, I don't want our partnership to be affected. This can be a dry run. See if he can handle acting professionally despite…despite last night."

"Well I hope he passes this little test of yours, Cherries. For your sake and his."

_Me too_.

After a lull in the conversation, she decided to lighten the mood. "Alexis was great though. I'm spending more time with her on Friday."

"I'm glad you two are getting along. She sounds special."

"She really is. We went dress shopping all day and it just felt good to be the one giving fashion advice. I'm usually on the receiving end of it when I go out with Lanie. She really listened to me, I think."

Danny smiled through the phone, glad to hear Kate happy. She continued on.

"I told her about the cello."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I haven't told anyone that I can play since my mom died."

"Why not?"

"I dunno. It was just something that reminds me of her too much. She loved when I played. If I tell other people, they'll want to hear me too. And I feel like—it's irrational, I know—but I feel like I only want to play for her."

"But you told Alexis…"

"Yeah. She has a way of making things not seem so bad. I guess it just felt right. She needs help with her violin and I just offered."

"You sure you're gonna be any good? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I play all the time by myself. I just don't like sharing it."

"Well it's about time."

She laughed into the phone. "We are gonna play together on Friday. I'm bringing my cello. It's mostly just to help her relax before her concert. Kind of a dress rehearsal thing."

"Sounds like fun, Cherries."

"Yeah, if we can get her dad out of the house. No way am I dressing up with Castle there to make everything into a big deal. This is for Alexis."

"You said this was for Friday?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well how about I invite Castle to my place for drinks and man-time? Then he's out of your hair and I can get to know him a little better."

Kate thought about it for a second and the more she thought, the more she loved the idea. It would finally bring together her two friends and give them a chance to get closer. Maybe it wasn't such a pipedream after all. Maybe they could bond over beer and a game of Madden. Maybe her past and present could finally connect together and give her life a happier future, full of laughs with her two best friends.

"Actually…that sounds like a pretty damn good idea. Want me to ask him or do you?"

"I can handle it. What's his favorite beer?"

"Fat Tire," Kate answered without hesitation.

"Alright. I'll stock up. Now try and get some sleep, lover girl."

"Sure thing, fly boy."

* * *

><p>On the other side of town, Castle was laying in his own bed, hypnotized by the fan blades spinning above him.<p>

_I almost kissed her. _

_We almost kissed._

He had been replaying the moment on loop like a viral YouTube video in his head. Her hair in the moonlight. The tilt of her head towards him. The flicker of her eyes to his lips. Every single detail played over and over and over again spinning through his mind like the blades of the fan.

That was twice in as many days that he had almost kissed Kate Beckett. The first time he had been thrown against a desk and handcuffed to a chair. But the second time—oh, the second time—she was going to kiss him back. Her eyes had given the permission that she had demanded he wait for.

He wanted to try again. He wanted to try again in a place where his daughter wouldn't interrupt them. Where he could press his lips to hers and finally taste again what his mind was beginning to forget from January of that year. He could remember that he had liked what she tasted like, but he couldn't recall on demand exactly what that taste was. Sometimes he would get a phantom flavor on his tongue and he would know that it was a memory of her, but he couldn't just draw it up in his mind.

He began to hypothesize the best possible ways to get her to try and kiss him again, but absolutely nothing seemed good enough and that worried him. Had it just been the magic of the garden in the moonlight? Had it been the wind in the leaves and the chirp of the crickets? Had it been the smell of the roses and the crisp nighttime air? And while he knew all those things had played their role, he hoped beyond hope that there was something more to it than that.

He hoped she really wanted to kiss him. And not just because of some magic utopian garden setting.

Rolling onto his side in bed, he tried to close his eyes and block out the spinning fan. He needed sleep. He needed to rest before going into work tomorrow and having to remain calm, cool, and collected around the detective. He knew his behavior tomorrow would be of paramount importance. Kate wouldn't want anything to disrupt her work and he would honor that. He would act like absolutely nothing had changed between them, even though everything had. He would wait until the right moment to bring it up. He could be patient. He had to be patient.

Deciding that chasing after sleep was a fruitless endeavor, he stood and made his way to the kitchen to grab some tea and maybe write a little. From the living room, he could see a faint light coming from upstairs. Looking at his watch, he noted that the time was far too late for any normal human (who had not just almost kissed the woman of their dreams) to be awake. Ditching his former plan, he climbed the stairs only to find the light was peering out from under Alexis' door.

He knocked quietly and then entered.

"Didn't you promise Beckett to go to bed at a reasonable hour?"

"I'll go to bed at midnight. That's reasonable."

He put a concerned hand on her shoulder and spoke softly. "Honey? It's two in the morning."

Her head snapped around to look disbelievingly into his eyes, seeking that joking glint that meant he was only toying with her. Finding no such luck, her eyes closed and she groaned. "I can't believe it's so late already! I have so much more to do!"

Leaning over her shoulder he closed the chemistry book that lay open on her desk, marking the page with a stack of her handwritten notes. "Not tonight, Pumpkin. It's time for bed. Come on."

He pulled her chair away from the desk and spun it to face him.

"I just finished off a Rooster Booster. I won't be able to sleep for hours," she whined and sat on the edge of her bed.

"A Rooster Booster? Is that anything like a speedball?" He sat next to her with a false look of concern on his face.

She rolled her eyes. "No, Dad. It's an energy drink."

"Good. I'd hate to see you go the way of John Belushi."

"You mean become a legend and change the face of the earth?"

He bumped her shoulder with his and then paused thinking. The false look of concern changed into legitimate worry.

"Since when do you load up on energy drinks?"

"Since _that_ happened." She gestured in frustrated at the huge pile of books and notes strewn about her desk. Sighing at the ever-so-parental look on his face, she continued. "I don't really like them," she said, "but I don't really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either."

"It's not good to get in the habit of depending on stimulants to stay awake, Sweetie. There has to be another way."

"Dad, it's not like it's Ritalin or coke anything. Everybody drinks them."

"Since when do you do stuff because everyone else is?"

"Stop turning this into an after school special. It really isn't a big deal."

Castle sighed loudly and then flopped back dramatically on the bed.

"Fine. I'll let it go. But be smart about it, okay?"

"I will." She lay down next to him and snuggled into his chest. "Thanks for looking out for me. As always."

"It's in my job description." He kissed the top of her head and let the silence take over. Her breathing started to even out and he took the moment to sit up and tell her to move under the covers before she fell all the way asleep. Not wanting to leave quite yet, he laid down next to her again, petting her long red hair.

"Sorry I interrupted earlier."

"Hmm?" He had been lost in memories of Alexis' childhood and hadn't quite understood what she was talking about.

"Your kiss. I'm sorry. Was that your first kiss?"

His hand paused in its path over her hair. "Yeah," he breathed.

Alexis turned her body and raised her torso off the bed to look at him. "I really like Kate, Dad."

"Me too." Oh, he liked her very much indeed.

"I know this is going to sound weird, but we are always honest with each other, right?"

"Yes."

She played with a button on his shirt and bit her lip. "I just…You and Grams are great and I love you both and I'd never ever need anything or anyone more than you. But sometimes I feel like…sometimes I just want a woman I can go to who has been through it all before. Grams is good for some things, but Kate is more…down to earth. She makes it easy to talk to her."

Castle was speechless. He had always assumed that Alexis had this secret want for a female role model and confidant, but she had never voiced it to him before. He didn't know quite how to respond yet, so he just smiled supportively. Alexis continued.

"I've never had that kind of connection with someone before. Not with Mom or Gina or anyone. It felt so…perfect. Like something I had never let myself want before, but have always needed."

"I didn't know you felt like this, Alexis. I'm so sorry I couldn't give that to you."

"No! Dad, no. I don't want you to feel like you have done anything wrong. You are amazing and so much more than most kids get with even two parents. I'm just saying it was really nice to spend the day with Kate."

"She told me she felt the same way about you."

"Really?"

He grinned at her excited expression. "Truly."

"Good. I can't wait for Friday." She laid her head back down on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"What are you guys doing on Friday?" Castle thought maybe she'd let their secret plans slip, while she was distracted with happy thoughts and sleepiness.

"Nice try, Dad."

"Eh. It was worth a shot."

After a long silence, Castle finally thought Alexis had fallen asleep. He continued to lay with her and listen to the soothing sound of her light breathing. Just as his own eyes started to close, he heard her whisper. At her words, Castle could hardly bear the swell of love that filled his heart.

"She buttoned my hard to reach buttons."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Mixing it up with who's bonding with whom. I'm a sucker for father-daughter scenes. I'm not sure if I captured their unique dynamic, but I had a lot of fun writing this chapter anyway. Sort of a cool down lap from the last little scene I wrote for ya. Threw you guys directly into two very platonic conversations. Let's call it a calm before the sexual storm..._

_Review that made my day: Holy Love Wagons of Happiness , **MommaKristine** reviewed my story! Half torn between feeling incredibly inadequate and skipping through a mental field of daisies. And the funny thing is, I got SO many wonderful reviews for my last chapter, it was still incredibly hard to pick! Each and every one of them made my day. You guys are so awesome. Keep reviewing. It's like eating warm gooey cookies for the soul, except I never get fat. _


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Wednesday and Thursday passed without incident. Castle had acted completely professional after the kiss-that-wasn't and hadn't brought it up since. Oh, she would catch him gazing at her longingly in the car and he seemed to keep his hand on her lower back a little too long after ushering her through doors, but other than those small things, nothing had changed.

They had closed an easy case on Thursday afternoon. A drug deal gone bad, but with plenty of clues left behind for the team to follow. Kate was almost getting antsy with the lack of difficult cases. It felt like a calm before the storm. Something dark was brewing out there, and she was not looking forward to its arrival. But there was nothing she could do to prevent it, so she just decided to enjoy the peace while she could.

The sun had begun to set on Friday night and Kate started packing up her things and shutting down her computer. She had been looking forward to this night more than was probably normal. Spending time with Alexis seemed like the perfect thing to do on a Friday and it definitely beat watching _That 70s Show_ reruns all night. Turning to the man who had just stared to rise form his chair by her desk, she asked him a question that she already knew the answer to.

"So, Castle. What are you doing tonight?"

"Why? Lookin' for a hot date?"

"Yeah. Know anybody worthy?"

"Ouch. That cuts deep."

She smiled as she threw her leather jacket over her shoulder and made her way to the elevator.

"Pity. I only meant to scratch." She sent him a saucy glance over her shoulder and he rolled his head back and groaned, moving quickly to follow her into the lift.

Once inside, she turned her eyes on him again. "So. Plans?"

"Actually, I'll be hanging out with Danny tonight. He thought that we should get to know each other a little better. If that's okay with you, of course."

"I think that's a great idea! I think you guys are really gonna have a good time on your man-date."

"Ha! So you mandate my man date?"

"Very clever. And yes. Try not to spill any of my embarrassing secrets to Danny."

"I don't even think I can think of one embarrassing secret of yours. You keep them well."

The elevator doors opened onto the lobby and Kate waved goodbye to the officer at the front desk as they exited the building.

"Hmmm. Maybe you haven't done as much digging as I thought. Shirking your investigative research duties?"

"Just respecting your space, Detective."

"Much appreciated." They reached their separate cars and Kate looked at him over the roof of her own. She waited for him to open his door and slide inside his car.

"Oh, and Castle?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't listen to a single story he tells you involving me, Panama, and skinny dipping. It's all lies."

She got into her car and drove away, leaving him stunned and staring emptily out the windshield, visions of Beckett swimming naked in his mind.

...

Castle arrived at his apartment and made his way quickly to his room to change his clothes. Stripping to his undershirt, he stared at his wardrobe and promptly yelled for his daughter.

"Alexis!"

She was by his side in moments.

"You rang?"

"Help me pick out an outfit for tonight."

"Well…I know you don't have a date, because Kate's coming over here, so I'm curious. Why?"

"I'm hanging out with Danny."

"Kate's Danny?"

"The one and only."

She ran her hands over his hanging shirts and pursed her lips in thought.

"I dunno, Dad. What do guys wear on dates with their love interest's long lost best friends?"

"A polo?"

"Ugh. No." She rolled her eyes in disgust. "You don't want to look preppy. You wanna look like a manly man."

"So not my pink blouse with the iron-on close up of Justin Bieber's nose?"

"Definitely not. How about this one?" She pulled out a Rolling Stones T-shirt.

"I dunno. Seems like I'd be trying too hard to be casual."

"Don't be such a girl. Just pick something."

He sighed exasperatedly. "Fine. Reaching randomly into his rack of button ups, he pulled out a simple Dolce and Gabbana white shirt. Slipping it on over his undershirt, he buttoned it and left it untucked from his jeans.

"Looks a little too dressy. Roll the sleeves up."

He did as he was bidden and turned to look in his full-length mirror.

"Not too shabby. Thanks, Pumpkin." Kissing her on her head he made his way back out to the main room and grabbed his keys and wallet. "What time is Beckett coming over?"

"In about thirty minutes, so scram."

"What time am I allowed back in your fortress of femininity?"

"Let's say ten, but call first?"

He grabbed the door handle behind his back.

"Fine. Just know that I've set up secret cameras all over this place to catch you guys in the act of…whatever it is you're doing. I know all. I see all."

Swinging the door open he ran directly into Kate Beckett standing on the other side and watched as she fell to the floor outside his apartment.

Looking up from her sprawled position on the ground, she narrowed her eyes at the man standing in shock above her.

"Apparently you don't _see_ everything, Castle."

He scrambled to help her to her feet and stammered an apology.

"Jeez, Beckett. I'm sorry. Didn't know you were there. Wasn't looking."

"It's fine, Castle. Help me carry this in."

He finally acknowledged the giant cello case leaning up against the wall by the door and the multitude of other bags.

"Why—why do you have a cello?"

She raised her eyebrow at him and grabbed the giant case. "That's for me to know and you to obsess over."

Walking inside his loft she left him to grab the bags on the floor.

"I thought you weren't coming over for another half hour?"

"Really?" She looked over at Alexis with a worried questioning look. "Did we say 8:30? I thought it was 8."

"No, no. It's fine. I'm ready to start anyway. So don't worry about it. Dad get outta here so we can commence our girls night."

"I'm going, I'm going." Walking through the door he turned back and said, "I bought extra ice cream for you guys. It's in the freezer."

"Thanks, Dad." She smiled genuinely and then chucked a crumpled piece of paper in his direction. "Now stop stalling and go on your little bromantic play date."

He made a face at her, but left nonetheless. He walked mindlessly to his car trying to imagine just _what_ was in all the bags that Kate had brought with her. And the cello? Did Kate play the cello? He had figured out that she played the guitar because he had seen it lying against the wall in her apartment. But the cello?

Ever since their "almost kiss" in the garden, it seemed that all of the fantasies, daydreams, and imaginings that he had suppressed about Kate for the past four months had rushed back with a vengeance. He had lost that filter and right now, he could picture nothing but a naked Kate with her legs wrapped around a cello. He breathed in the chilled air outside and tried to will his arousal away.

The filter couldn't stop the images from flooding in, but he sure as hell could keep them from lingering too long. He knew if he completely gave in to his imagination, he'd end up entirely abandoning reality.

And in a way, he felt like imagining Kate in…compromising situations just wasn't what she deserved from him. He knew that she would never know his thoughts, but _he_ knew his thoughts. He respected her more than any other woman in the world and he wanted to keep it that way. And so, although there was a definite increase in the frequency of his sexual thoughts of her, he still made a valiant effort to not let them get too far.

...

Castle raised his fist to knock on the unfamiliar door to Danny's new apartment. When it swung open, to reveal Danny's jovial face, Castle felt his nerves return. He wasn't a generally nervous person, and the uncomfortable feeling he got when he stared at the near stranger in front of him was not pleasant or welcome.

_What on earth was he doing here? Why did he agree to this? _Danny was, for all intents and purposes, his competition for his newly recognized feelings for Kate. Although there was really no evidence to support his theory that Danny was secretly putting the moves on Beckett, he had a hard time believing any man could be around her and not fall in love with her.

He really had absolutely no desire to be here. Not even his famous curiosity could overshadow the need to be anywhere but in the living room of the classically handsome fly boy. _Did he use a curling iron on that hair? And he has to dye it. Those highlights don't occur in nature. They couldn't. _

But he knew why he was here and it was really all the reason he needed. It was important to Beckett. As much as she tried to hide it, he knew her and he could tell without a doubt exactly how important it was to her that Danny and himself get to know each other. He still wasn't quite sure why she was so invested in it, but he figured he might as well. If it meant something to her, then it meant something to him.

"Come in! Come in! How are you, Castle?"

"Call me Rick." The men shook hands warmly and the tension faded a little bit. "Thanks for having me over."

Danny quickly pulled an ice cold Fat Tire out of the refrigerator and put it in Rick's hand. Before Danny could hand him the bottle opener, Castle had already pinched it in the space between his palm, thumb, and forefinger and popped it open with a hiss. Impressed, Danny lifted his eyebrow and took a long draw of his own.

"Where'd you learn that little trick?"

Castle smiled. "Beckett."

Danny laughed a deep and genuine laugh. "I should have known. She's always picking up secret talents."

"That she is."

There was a bit of a silence, and Castle wondered if things were about to get awkward.

"I think there's a game on. Wanna watch?"

"Sure! My mother and daughter never let me watch sports! It's always ABC Family and the CW at my place. Let me tell you, if ya ever need to know anything about teenage television dramas, I'm your guy."

Danny clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well then let's get some testosterone flowing."

He switched on a game. Yankees vs. Red Sox.

"Yeah! My boys are on. Let's see if they can pull this game through. You like the Yankees?"

"Of course. Burnett's been doing pretty well so far this season. I hope they can bring it home."

"Amen to that."

They clinked bottles together and then watched the game without talking. They would occasionally yell at the screen or make comments on how idiotic the commentary was, but mostly they just sat relaxed on the couch in peace. At some point halfway through, They made a huge man-sized plate of loaded nachos. Soon enough, the game was over and Rick was standing, preparing to leave.

"Hey, Kate is at your place, right?"

"Yeah. She and Alexis are having secret girl time." He checked his watch. "I should be all clear to come home soon, though. I promised I call first."

Danny was in the kitchen scrubbing the hardened cheese off the nacho plates. His hands were covered in bubbles as he spoke from his place at the sink.

"When Kate was over the other day, she left her driver's license in my bedroom. It must have fallen out of her pocket when she was changing. Could you bring it to her for me? I doubt she even knows it's missing."

Castle's heart plummeted.

Kate.

Kate had been here. In his bedroom. Without her clothes on.

His worst fears seemed to be suddenly confirmed. He had lost her yet again to another man. Another man who wasn't even a "bad" man, so Rick couldn't even hate him the way he wanted to.

He could have been friends with Danny. They had had a good night tonight, bonding over beer and baseball. But that was out of the question now. Castle watched the man run his hands over the plate in the sink and all that his mind could see were those hands running up Kate's body.

Shutting his eyes to the mental image, Rick tried very hard to keep his face impassive as he answered the man's question.

"Sure. I can bring it to her."

"Great!" Danny smiled up from the sink. "It's on my bedside table, if you wanna run into that room right there and grab it. My hands are all soapy."

_Oh great. Now he had to face the scene of their…sexual union._

"Sure." He walked into the bedroom and stopped in his tracks at the sight that greeted him. He had no idea what to think. His mind skipped around from confusion, to panic, to awe, to arousal, and then back to confusion.

Almost every surface of Danny's room was covered in pictures of Kate.

He walked slowly, immersing himself in this mysterious room as if in a trance. Walking along the wall by the door he tried to take it all in. Most of the pictures were photographs. They appeared candid, and were almost all of Kate, although there were some of just park scenery. Her smile shone at him from every possible angle of the room and he felt his heart fill with the thought of her and then break at the thought that he couldn't have her. This process repeated with every new picture he saw.

There was one where her mouth was full of what looked like a hotdog. She looked beautiful. There was one of her profile staring at a jungle gym. She looked gorgeous. There was one where she was sipping coffee. She was stunning. His favorite that he had come across so far was of her lost in laughter: mouth open, eyes sparkling, hands clasped. She was perfect.

He noticed that amongst the photographs, there were ten or so hand drawn pictures of her. They looked like charcoal sketches and they were incredibly good. Whoever had drawn them (and his money was on Danny) had a definite talent. He had captured Kate's very essence. Her twinkling eyes and perfectly sculpted face stared back at him from the drawings and they looked so much like her that he thought perhaps they had captured her even more than the photos had.

After he had made a full circle of the room and taken in all the photos and drawings of Kate that he could stand he made his way to the bedside table and picked up her ID. Leaning up against the table was a large, rectangular object covered by a sheet. His curiosity piqued, he pinched the sheet between a few of his fingers and slowly pulled it off of whatever it was hiding. He knew he shouldn't be snooping, but since when had he respected those types of personal boundaries?

What he found under the sheet momentarily wiped his mind blank of all thought. This one was different than all the other Kates that lined the walls. She was a vision created by broad brushstrokes, all in shades of blues and greens. A rush of blood went directly south as his eyes followed the graceful curve of her spine from her neck all the way down to her…to where it disappeared behind a sheet.

Her hair was pulled up in a loose knot so that her neck was visible, but several curls fell down to brush her shoulders. Her head was turned to the side and Rick had never seen a more beautiful profile. Her gaze was faraway and dreamy, but somehow lustful with her full lips parted and autumn eyes unfocused. Danny had captured a moment. A look in her eye that was more than just pensive. He would have given anything to know what had put that expression on her face. It was almost the face of a lover in a moment of passion and Castle couldn't take his eyes away.

Under the arm that was elegantly raised to touch her neck, he could see the hint of the most beautifully feminine curve he had ever seen. He couldn't see much of it. Just enough to make him ache painfully. To make his fingers long to brush against its smoothness. They reached out on their own accord, as if they couldn't quite make the distinction between the painting and the real Kate.

Just as his fingers were about to reach the textured surface of the painting, Danny walked in.

"Hey. You never came back out…"

"Yeah." Castle dropped his hand, but couldn't quite form words yet. He forced his eyes off the painting and up to Danny's warm and friendly face. He didn't seem mad that Castle had snooped. In fact, he didn't even look remotely surprised or offended.

"She's beautiful," Danny stated. "I didn't remember her being like this. My memories are all of our childhood and growing up. But now she's…a woman." He looked around at his own work. "Absolutely beautiful."

Castle couldn't argue.

"I walked in here and for a moment I thought you were some crazed obsessed stalker. I guess that's what happens when you spend so much time following her around on cases with crazy people." He looked at Danny with a comically suspicious look. "You're not crazy, right?"

"Nope. Just…inspired."

"Yeah. I know the feeling." With a pause and a hint of sadness, he continued, "I guess she's not just _my_ muse anymore."

Danny smiled like he could see right through Castle and his every emotion. Castle's eyes couldn't help but flick over to the gorgeous painting by Danny's bed. The words slipped from his lips before he had a chance to think them through and filter them out.

"Do you love her?" he asked Danny.

"It's impossible not to."

Rick nodded his head numbly. _At least he loved her. Couldn't possibly love her as much as me, but at least it's something_. Danny walked over to Castle and stood in front of him.

"Hey. I don't know if Kate's told you or not, but judging from the look on your face right now, I'm going to venture a no. You need to know that I love her dearly and deeply... But as a sister and only as a sister. And even more than that, _she_ only loves _me_ as a brother."

Castle's eyes lifted to Danny's face, not quite sure if he was hearing him right, being tricked, or simply just the luckiest sonofabitch alive.

"But…the pictures…and you have so much history. I just don't see how—well frankly, I don't see how anyone could be with Beckett and not be_ in_ love with her."

A grin spread across Danny's features. "So you admit it, then. You love her."

Castle realized what he had said and instead of fighting it and denying it like he had done countless times in the past, he just let the truth flow freely from him.

"It's _impossible_ not to."

Danny clapped his hand twice on Castle's shoulder.

"Good then. Now that you two are on the same page, maybe you should do something about it."

Smiling and wondering exactly what Danny meant about the "same page", Castle had a thought.

"I've gotta say, Danny. Your work is amazing. I like to think of myself as having an eye for art, and even if I didn't have such a personal…attachment for the subject of these pieces, they'd still be pretty damn good."

"Thanks, man. Art has always been my passion. It just comes to me, you know?"

Castle nodded again in understanding. He felt that way about writing. And loving Kate Beckett.

"I was wondering if you were willing to…sell. I don't think I've ever fallen more in love with a work of art than I have with that painting over there. Name your price."

Danny nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"I dunno. I promised Kate I wouldn't sell that particular one. She can be a bit more modest than she lets on. I don't think she'd appreciate me selling the first painting she ever got the guts to take her clothes off for."

"I promise I will treat it well. She won't be mad, " Castle lied out of desperation for his purchase. "She just wouldn't want strangers to buy it. I'm her best friend. Well…one of them. She wouldn't mind if I bought it. Please. Name your price."

Danny knew that Rick knew what he was saying was utter bullshit. Kate would definitely mind Castle seeing the painting. Then again…maybe Kate needed a little push. Danny had been pulling Rick's puppet strings all night, all culminating in luring him into his bedroom so that he would finally be overwhelmed by visions of Kate and forced to confront his feelings.

Kate needed the same kick in the pants and maybe this would work out for the best. And from the reverent way Rick beheld the painting, Danny wasn't worried about how he truly felt about Kate. He knew it was love. And he knew Rick would cherish the painting.

"How about $850 and I throw in two charcoals of your choosing."

Rick's smile was pure happiness.

"Make it $2850 and you've got a deal."

Danny's eyes bugged out of his head. Just a bit. _Almost three thousand dollars! Was this guy nuts?_

"Let's just make it an even $2000 and call it a night?" Danny had never haggled his way down in a price. It was an interesting experience.

"Deal." They shook on it, Castle picked out the charcoals he wanted, and Danny wrapped it all up in a spare sheet with some twine.

After Castle walked out the door, Danny called down the hall after him.

"Do it soon, Rick. Sweep her off her feet."

Oh…Castle had already started forming his plan. He'd do more than sweep her off her feet. He'd fly her to the moon.

* * *

><p><em>AN: You can see my inspiration for the painting on my tumblr. I think it should be the very first post I made on the 15__th__ or something. It's a gorgeous painting called "Woman's Back" by Hymnodi. The URL for my Tumblr is below. Just remove all the spaces. There are also some pictures of me, fun Caskett stuff, and the true story of the Panama skinny dipping incident that Beckett alluded to in this chapter. DOOO ITTTTTTT!_

_http: / / daphnebeauty. tumblr. com /_

_Review that made my day was from **VACastleFan.** I can't believe you remembered my thesis defense was on Friday (that's the reason I didn't post yesterday)! For anyone who cares, I passed (yay me)! And if anyone ever has any questions about focal microinjections and the spatial and temporal effects of muscimol in neural tissue, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT ASKING ME. There will be a headsplosion and my brain goo will get all over your nice clothes._

_As always, I love all my reviewers and readers. You guys kept me from going completely bonkers this week with my thesis. Truly, this is not a lie. Every little message I got threw me into fits of happiness. Please keep them coming. I love to hear your opinions on where the story is going. Some of you guys have nailed it. Some of you are about as far off as Castle and his CIA theories. One of you has changed the course of the sequel. Oh yeah...**SURPRISE**! There's a sequel. _


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

After Castle had officially left the loft, Kate and Alexis waited an appropriate amount of time just to make sure he wasn't planning on popping back in, claiming to forget some nonexistent, unnecessary item. They both knew he would be willing to stoop that low for the chance to spy on them.

They sat on the couch and talked a bit about exactly how much it was killing Castle not to know what they were up to. Both women found it incredibly entertaining to deny Castle any sort of reprieve from his raging curiosity. Fifteen minutes of laughter later, they decided that the coast was clear and it was time that they got started on their night.

"Okay, so where do you want to start?" Kate asked the young girl.

"Should we do our hair first?"

"That sounds good." Reaching into the big bag she had brought, Kate pulled out a large barreled curling iron.

"This is my secret weapon. If used correctly, it has ten times more power over men than my Glock."

Alexis smiled and looked skeptically at the curling iron. "I've tried them before. My hair won't hold the curl."

"Just leave that to me, Alexis."

Twenty minutes later, Alexis' hair had the same volume and silky curls as Kate's, the only difference being the length and startling color. Kate had explained the process and precise mixture of products to Alexis as she worked, so that Alexis could replicate it whenever she wanted. It was true that the young girl's hair didn't hold the curls as well, but Kate had anticipated this from Alexis' warning and had simply used a stronger hairspray.

"I can't believe it worked!"

"See? I told you. You just needed the proper training."

"It's official. You are going to come move in with me and do this every morning before school. I don't think I can go back to plain, straight hair."

Kate laughed joyfully and ran her fingers through the long, red strands and lightly teasing them into an aesthetically pleasing position. "It would be like dressing up my very own Barbie every morning."

Alexis smiled. "Great. It's settled." Then she turned back and smirked. "I'm sure dad won't mind at all..."

Kate's eyes bugged out at Alexis' lack of subtlety and then she lightly hit the girl on the shoulder. "Alexis Castle. If I knew your middle name I'd use it against you right now. You keep those thoughts in your head, young lady."

She smiled a friendly smile to let her know she was only joking. It was…reassuring to hear from Castle's daughter that he might have those kinds of feelings for her. She was pretty sure he did after the night in the garden. But it was nice to hear anyway.

Castle hadn't tried to repeat the kiss over the past week. In fact, he had acted as if it hadn't even happened at all. While a part of her was glad for his professionalism at work, another part of her was dying to know what was going on in his head. She had thought that a man with Castle's reputation for patience would have been bursting at the seams to talk about it.

"Lenore." Kate looked at Alexis with confusion in her eyes.

"My middle name. It's Lenore."

"Your middle name is…Lenore?" Kate asked hesitantly. Lenore was an odd name to say the least.

"Yeah. Dad's obsession with Poe strikes again."

Something clicked in Kate's brain from her high school English class. "_A dirge for her, the doubly dead, in that she died so young._"

"That's the one."

"That's a little…dark."

"Well, that's Poe."

Kate shrugged. She wouldn't let Castle name their kids after the dead obsessions of creepy poets. She liked that Castle had a dark side, but she'd rather stick to less morbid names for their kids.

_Holy CRAP! Did she just think about having kids with Castle? _

Shaking her head roughly to get the dangerous thoughts out of her subconscious, she started in on Alexis' makeup.

"You know? I think Lenore suits you. It's unique, but I kind of like it anyway."

"Thanks. It's grown on me too. I mean, Dad's named himself Edgar and Lenore was the person that Poe loved most, so I guess it's flattering. In a slightly gloomy way."

Kate started to add blush to the girl's cheeks as she spoke. "You really don't need very much makeup. I'm really only putting this on because you'll be on stage. Your grandmother will probably be far more useful for this part. She knows how to do stage makeup."

"Could you do it anyway? At least for tonight. I haven't had someone do my makeup since the seventh grade when Donna McDougal and I stole her mother's blue eye shadow. Do you remember Mimi from _The Drew Carey Show_? She looked subtle compared to us."

"Of course I'll still do it! But let's just stick with a normal non-stage, non-Mimi makeup look," she said in a laughing voice.

After they both had sufficiently prettied themselves up, it was time to put on the dresses. Alexis took her new charcoal dress from a garment bag in her closet and slipped it on with Kate's help on the buttons.

"Oh, you look gorgeous, Alexis. Your father's not gonna want to let you out of this house."

"Good. That's the sign of a good outfit." She looked at Kate expectantly. "Your turn. You can't back out now. Go put your dress on."

Kate had been hoping that Alexis would sort of…forget about that portion of the night's festivities. Sighing with reluctance she unzipped her own garment bag and took out the gorgeous dress she had bought a few months ago. Slipping off her clothes in Alexis' closet, she stepped into the silky dress and pulled it up the length of her body. Taking care of the zipper, she nervously ran her hands over the front of the dress to smooth it out.

This was ridiculous, right? Playing dress-up with Castle's daughter had to be a sign of insanity. She should have just insisted that Alexis be the only one to dress up and she would simply be there for musical aid and hair styling. Hoping that Alexis would like her dress and never EVER tell her father about it, Kate came out of the closet.

Alexis' jaw dropped and her eyes were wide as saucers.

"Oh my god, Kate. You look…"

Kate quickly spoke, not wanting the attention to be on her tonight. She was really only dressing up so Alexis herself didn't feel silly.

"Are you ready to start playing?"

Alexis looked at her sideways, seeming to catch on to the fact that Kate was uncomfortable with compliments.

"Sure. Let me grab my violin."

...

Two hours later and Kate was legitimately afraid that Alexis was going to lose her mind and smash her violin on the floor like a rock star throwing a tantrum.

"I can't do it, Kate! This song! I hate it! Hate. It."

"Alexis…"

"No! Nooo…I mean, I can't believe I actually started out liking this song! What was I thinking? If I ever—and I mean EVER—have to listen to this song again once the concert is over, I'm just going to, to, to SCREAM!"

Raising her eyebrows at Alexis' outburst Kate walked over and carefully took down the sheet music on the stand in front of Alexis. She moved like she was approaching a wild animal, because for all intents and purposes, she was.

"Are you done?"

Looking properly ashamed, Alexis hung her head. "I'm sorry. It's just so frustrating. I had this song nailed a week ago and now I'm stumbling over parts that never gave me any trouble before."

From experience, Kate knew exactly what Alexis meant. It happened to all musicians. It had happened to Kate, herself, many times in the past, which luckily made her well equipped for damage control. She knew exactly what Alexis needed.

"Alexis. You are not to touch this song more than once a day until the concert."

Alexis started to interrupt, but Kate held up a halting hand.

"Just trust me. I had a feeling that this was your problem. You are thinking about the song too much. Practicing it too much. Lucky for you," she walked over to one of her many bags and pulled out a manila folder, "I have the cure."

Handing the folder full of sheet music to Alexis she waited until the girl could look over what she had been given.

"Kate…I can't play this. This is, like, years ahead of where I am."

"I beg to differ. You can do it. Let's just give it a try; you can go slowly."

Alexis hesitantly raised her violin under her chin and placed the bow to the strings. Drawing it slowly across, she played the first notes perfectly.

"See? Not so bad!"

"That was only three notes!"

"Yeah, but then you'll play the next three and the next three and soon you'll have the whole song."

Alexis narrowed her eyes. "Okaaaaay…"

Seeing that Alexis was skeptical, Kate pulled out her big guns.

Reaching into the bag again, she pulled out another folder. "Guess what?" she said with a smile. "It's a duet. I'll play the cello part and you can nail the violin. It'll be fun."

Looking a little more excited at the prospect of playing a duet with Kate, Alexis went back to studying the sheet music.

"I guess it doesn't look that bad…"

Kate smiled. She knew Alexis would be able to play this song perfectly at least within the week. That girl had the determination of her father.

Kate dragged a wooden stool out of the corner where it had decoratively held a vase full of some sort of swirly sticks. She set the stool near Alexis and then sat down, settling in with her cello between her legs.

"Ready?"

"Let's do it."

...

They had been playing Handel's Harpsichord Suite in G minor that had been reworked by Halvorsen as a violin and cello duet. It was extremely challenging, but Alexis was attacking it with great resolve. They had reached a part in the song where the violin required an intense set of very quickly played notes and Alexis was struggling.

The door to the loft opened slowly, but neither of the two noticed. They were far too immersed in the song and the intricate set of notes that Alexis was convinced would never be mastered by her fingers. They were in the small offshoot room with the piano and were far enough away from the door not to hear it when it clicked closed.

Whatever Castle had expected when he came home, this was not it. It was obvious that Kate and Alexis had no idea that he had walked through the door and he was torn between announcing himself or finally taking a few moments to observe his daughter interacting with the woman he loved. Of course he chose the latter.

Setting down the bundle that contained the painting and charcoals of Kate, he saw her rise from her stool where she had been sitting with a cello between her legs. Too curious about the situation, he didn't quite allow his mind to fully grasp exactly how sexy she had looked with the instrument between her thighs. Instead, he focused on what she was wearing.

He had seen her wear a dress exactly three times. Once at a benefit undercover and on his arm, once on a date with a boring fireman, and once at a club in a sexy black number. This was completely different. She wore a creamy white satin dress that laid along her curves like fog in the early morning. The material looked weightless and his fingers absolutely itched to touch it. The neckline was cut low. So low that Castle could see the hints of the beautiful feminine curves of her breasts between the vee. The dress fell to right below her knee in ripples and waves.

Beckett leaned her large instrument against the piano and then walked over to where Alexis stood with her violin at her side.

"We talked about this. I know you can do it. Just play the notes."

"Kate, I know you mean well, and you're right: this is distracting me in a good way. But it's also not really doing much for my confidence. It's too hard for me."

"Alexis. There are going to be a lot of things in your life that you might think are too hard for you, but one of the most important things I've learned in life is that those are the things that shape you as a person. Those are the things that will make you better and stronger. Never back down from a challenge."

Kate ran her hand across Alexis's cheek and made sure she could see how fully serious she was. It wasn't just a pep talk. Kate was sharing one of her priceless truths.

Castle slid out of the entryway as quietly as he could to stand more to the side against a wall in the main room. He had a better view of Kate's face from here. He took a step forward in preparation to announce his presence, but a movement from Kate stopped him. She reached out and took the violin from his daughter's hands.

Continuing to speak to the girl, Kate raised the violin to rest under her chin.

"There will always be songs that you can play that are on your level. You can nail them in no time and feel good about your work for a while. But it's always good to have at least one song that seems entirely out of your league. Because one day, when you play it perfectly it will all seem worth it.

Raising the violin up and setting the bow against its strings lightly she turned once more to look Alexis in the eyes.

"When I was having a particularly rough week, back when I was right around your age, this was the song that my teacher gave me to play. That's why I chose it for you. I know you can do it, because I did it too. And now every time I hear this song, it reminds me that I can do anything. I want that for you."

Pulling her eyes away from Alexis, she closed them and started to play the difficult passacaglia they had been working for so long on.

Castle's breath was taken away completely and he didn't miss it. Kate could play the violin. More than that, it was like she made the violin come to life and caressed the notes out of it like they had been there all along, waiting to be set free. The dress and the music and the way Kate's hair fell in her face was all too much. The arm that Castle had rested against the wall slipped and he stumbled forward a bit. In order to catch himself, he had to throw out one of his feet. The loud stomp it made broke his cover and the music stopped abruptly.

Kate immediately swung Alexis behind her and looked prepared for a fight with whomever was in the loft. Coming out of the shadows with his hands raised guiltily, Castle walked into the room with the piano.

"It's just me. Don't shoot!" he said it with a smile, but was a tiny bit afraid that Kate might just kick his ass anyway.

"Castle!" she yelled in surprise. Her expression made it look like she had almost wished it had been an intruder. "What're you doing here?"

"Umm…I live here?"

"Dad," Alexis piped in. "I told you to call me first."

"I did! You didn't answer. Go check your phone, I'm not lying."

Alexis crossed her arms in front of her chest and scowled. Castle noticed for the first time how beautiful his daughter looked. Walking toward her he reached out and fingered a piece of her hair

"You look so pretty, Alexis. What did you do to your hair?"

"Kate did it. Do you like it?"

Castle looked over at Kate. _He should have known. Alexis' hair was identical except for longer and red. _Still looking at Kate he answered.

"It's beautiful."

They all stared in silence, eyes flickering back and forth between each other.

"So…you can play the violin?" Castle broke the silence.

Kate tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and then fidgeted with a pinch of her dress.

"I can play just about anything with strings."

"How did I not know this?"

"Umm…Because I didn't tell you?"

"Ah. That would explain it."

Feeling oddly guilty, Kate stepped forward to explain herself.

"I wasn't hiding it, really. I just…I never talk about it with anyone. Alexis is the first I've told since…umm…my mom died."

Alexis' eyes got very big and Castle could tell that this was a new development. Kate turned to her, correctly predicting her discomfort and was determined to put her at ease.

"Don't feel weird about it. I _wanted _to share it with you. This has been perfect."

Alexis nodded, but didn't seem to know the right thing to say. She was only seventeen and wasn't quite well versed in how to handle emotionally intense situations yet. Castle, however, was a year past forty. His lifetime of wisdom should have allowed him some sort of expertise.

It didn't.

Unable to find the proper balance between comforting and understanding, he went with a complete subject change away from her mother instead. _When in doubt…_

"So…the cello too, huh? Favorite composer?"

Kate smiled. She knew he was drawing the conversation away from her mother and she appreciated it.

"I love Astor Piazzolla. He was my favor—"

Before she could fully get her sentence out, Castle's face transformed into one of pure excitement. He practically skipped his way to the grand piano that stood in the corner. Sitting at the bench, he cleared his throat dramatically and then placed his hands on the keys like he was the Queen of England bestowing knighthood on the instrument.

Then, keeping his eye contact with Kate, he started to play a few slow and beautiful notes of a song.

Kate recognized it immediately. It was Astor Piazzolla's Oblivion. Castle lifted his hands from the keys.

"Know this one?"

Breathlessly, she answered, "Yes." It was her favorite Piazzolla song. Maybe her favorite song for the cello in general. It was achingly sad, but absolutely beautiful too. It reminded her of nights with no moon. _How could Castle possibly know her so well? _She supposed she should be used to it by now, but it still amazed her. He, more than anyone else in the world, seemed able to simply sense the secret parts of her heart and soul. She could hide them from the world, but he always found the essence of her.

His blue eyes were intense, as if he had noticed her reaction to his choice of song. Gone was the levity and excitement. Kate couldn't quite read them, but she could already feel herself getting lost in the blue. His words broke her trance.

"Play it with me?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: If you want to hear the song Kate and Alexis were playing just type this into YouTube: " The Impossible Duet: Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia for Cello and Violin". I'll have a link up on my Tumblr (URL in the A/N of last chapter or in the bio of my author's page) that you can visit too. Speaking of Tumblr, I got a really good response so far from it, so I will try and keep it coming. I've set up an "Ask" thingy so you can now comment on it there. Some of you requested more pictures of me. I'm still debating whether or not these people are secret stalking serial psychopaths. But I also wouldn't want to deny you guys anything you want...Thoughts? _

_I've also been requested to "cast" the role of Danny. I actually didn't have an actor in mind when I wrote him. Who have you guys been picturing?_

_Reviews that made my day: **veronihika**...Yes yes a thousand times yes! You are my first marriage proposal. I hope you know that random internet engagements are binding in my state. I also laughed out loud at the phrase "fuck you very much". I'm gonna need to use that more often. I've got a sailor's mouth and this would just horrify my mother. And also **SciFiGirl65**. KERSLPOOOSHOOWWWZAAAA! That was my brain matter exploding all over you. I also received another review that I can no longer find in my email or on the site, but they requested some Kate/Martha in the future (aka the sequel). WISH GRANTED! I hadn't planned on it, but I kind of like this all-powerful feeling I get when I make your whims a reality. For the reviewer out there who wanted Danny and Castle to bow-chicka-wow, your wish will not be granted. May I offer you some gum instead?_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:

Alexis looked between her father and Kate. Something was going on and it was important. The vibe they were sharing wasn't just about the music. Something big was happening and Alexis couldn't bring herself to leave the room.

As her father's fingers started to slowly play the piano again, she waited on the edge of the couch with bated breath. Soon the melancholy sound of Kate's cello joined in and Alexis immediately felt the air fill almost tangibly with the sound of lost lovers and heartbreak.

Alexis was well aware that her father was an amazingly proficient piano player. He played for Grams all the time and sometimes she would find him just messing around on the grand when she came home from school. But her father had played almost exclusively upbeat songs. This was one of the first sad songs she had ever heard him play.

And just as his face always mirrored the tones of his joyful songs when he played them, right now his face was the embodiment of a longing ache. Looking into his eyes from the couch, she could see that they were fixed on Kate, not his hands. Alexis allowed a small smile onto her face. He was so obviously in love with her.

For her part, Kate wasn't looking at anything put the insides of her eyelids. Her long eyelashes were casting shadows down her cheeks in the low lighting and Alexis was once again stunned by her beauty. She couldn't understand how her dad hadn't told Kate how he felt yet. With every draw of her bow against the strings, Kate seemed to be pouring out her heart and letting the air fill with the emotions she always kept so tightly bottled.

By the end of the song, Alexis had soft tears glistening on her cheeks. The beauty of the song mixed with the obvious passion and longing between the two adults was too much. She was blown away. The last few notes were played and a heavy silence filled the air unlike any other Alexis had ever experienced.

Kate looked over at her dad and the two stared into each other's eyes. They both seemed to have forgotten her presence and Alexis could sense with every fiber of her being that something huge had just shifted in the room. Standing from the couch, she quietly ebbed from the room and headed up the stairs to let them be alone. She probably could have left with a parade of the Ringling Brothers and they still wouldn't have noticed the departure.

...

The silence was too loud.

Kate had to break the eye contact. She had too. She could feel herself giving away too many emotions. Her veil had fallen. It had been blown down by the power of the song and the look in Castle's eyes as he watched her play. Now everything she felt was out there for him to see because she just couldn't seem to remember how to cover it up anymore.

So far she was having no luck drawing her eyes away from his. It was as if some sort of magnet had just locked them into place and it was against the laws of physics and nature for them to be pulled apart again. Castle didn't even look like he wanted to break the eye contact. It occurred to her that he was pouring out the same volume of emotions with his eyes as she was. Taking a second to forget about her own, she focused on his and her heart sped at what she saw.

"Come with me somewhere. I have something to show you."

Nodding her head because she couldn't remember what words were, she rose from her chair to follow him anywhere.

He held up a hand to stop her from coming into his office and said, "Wait right here. I'll be right back. Right back."

He ran in and shut the door with her on the other side. Through the door she could hear the sound of a printer and her curiosity and confusion rose to a whole new level. He was back in a flash, his cheeks either rosy from excitement or the speed with which he had moved. Probably both.

"Come on," he said. He grabbed her hand like it was something they did all the time and led her out the front door. Her shock that had somewhat dissipated when it had been replaced by confusion at the printer, returned full force the moment his hand had enveloped hers. The feel of his large, warm hand holding her was indescribable. They fit together so well.

When they got into the elevator, she was surprised yet again when he pressed the "R" button for the roof instead of heading downwards where she had expected. He seemed to notice her silence. She hadn't spoken since before they had started to play Oblivion.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath, but didn't quite look at him. He had let go of her hand when they entered the elevator and she was a little discomfited by how much she missed it already. She subconsciously (or consciously, but in denial) let the backs of her knuckles brush against his. He looked down at her, but she still stared straight ahead at the elevator doors. Waiting for them to open up to the roof.

When they finally did, they were released into a small hallway with only one door at the end. Right here. Right here was where she had to make the decision once and for all. She could take the elevator back down to her safe and familiar life. Back to the ground floor. Into a taxi. Straight to her apartment.

Or…

Or she could walk down that one-way hallway. The one that had only one door at the end that led to only one possible outcome. She could let Castle take her out into the New York night air and into the unknown.

...

There was a strong wind that flurried about the roof of Castle's building. It played with her hair, lifting it up and then whipping it across her face lightly. The air was chilly, but it felt good around her bare legs as it flirted with the skirt of her dress, a strong reminder that she was not in a dream. She walked wordlessly to the edge of the roof, leaning against the hip-height brick wall that separated them from the abyss below.

The sound of some lonely crickets calling to each other in the night seemed to carry on the duet that Kate and Castle had ended down in the loft, playing the harmony alongside the soft bubbling of a fountain. Kate closed her eyes to listen as she leaned over the edge of the building just a little—just to feel the wind.

She began to focus on the sound of the trees that were also on the roof in large pots. The leaves of the trees whispered their secrets in an ancient tongue that she wished she could understand. They held an intimate conversation with the wind that Kate envied. Soon her ear was filled with an entirely different type of whisper. This one was warm and filled her simultaneously with nerves and desire.

"What are you thinking about?" Castle had walked up behind her and was impossibly close. Not quite touching her, she could still feel the heat from his body.

"The wind."

He didn't respond, but placed his hands on her upper arms and gently turned her. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a folded piece of paper. She could only guess that it was what he had so hurriedly printed out earlier.

"I got you something."

"You got me something?"

"Yeah. I just…you've been so great with Alexis and I felt like I should thank you."

"Oh…"

He shook his head almost violently. "No. No actually that's not why I got it. I got it because…well. I don't know. Here." He shoved the piece of paper into her hands his eyes skittering out at the skyline looking more nervous than she had ever seen him.

She unfolded it slowly and started to read the words on the page. Confused, she looked up at him.

"Castle, what is this?"

"It's silly. It's stupid, really." He turned to lean on the wall and looked up at the sky. His eyes found the full moon and her gaze followed his to look at it.

"I'm sure it's neither of those things, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at right now. What is it?"

He took a deep breath but didn't turn away from the moon. She stared at his handsome profile as he spoke.

"It's a property deed. I bought you a little plot of land."

"_Excuse _me!" Her voice was high in disbelief.

"It's in the perfect spot. Overlooks a beautiful sea."

Kate was gaping at him. She grabbed his arm and yanked so that he would look at her.

"Explain," she demanded.

"It's the plot of lunar land right next to mine. On the Sea of Nectar." He looked deeply into her eyes that were now sparkling with some sort of recognition and awe. "I would have given you the whole moon if I could, but this is the best I could do."

Kate was speechless. He was amazing. He was amazing and she was in love with him.

"This way, when the inevitable happens and the robots finally organize their uprising and enslave mankind, you and I can escape and live out our days on the moon."

She smiled that secret smile of hers.

"You got me the moon."

He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, still not sure if her lack of words was a good sign.

"Yeah."

"You got me the _moon_, Castle."

Her eyes shining with unshed tears, she looked deeply into the eyes of the extraordinary man in front of her.

Here she was, standing in the deepest part of the river, thinking about diving in. It was all she had ever wanted and now she was staring directly into the eyes of the one man she wanted to dive in with. She imagined how the current would overtake her and how easy it would be to disappear. To just let herself be consumed and swept away by all of the emotions that were pushing and pulling at her.

As if the current she had imagined was real, she felt herself being pulled towards Castle. Bringing her hands up, she rested them on his chest. Feeling the clean, white material beneath her fingertips she twisted one of his buttons between her fingers, before looking up into his eyes again. She could see that he wasn't breathing, but his heart was beating impossibly fast beneath her palm.

Leaning in, her eyes fixed on his lips instead. They were slightly parted and incredibly inviting. Taking one last peek in his eyes, she saw him staring at her lips. Needing no other sign of encouragement, she brought her lips softly to his.

...

The whisper of her lips against his made him see stars.

He was too afraid to kiss her back. It was just too perfect and he didn't want to lose that feeling of…completion that he was feeling. Didn't want to ruin it by moving an inch.

She pressed her lips infinitesimally closer. He could feel her soft breath against his lips and he closed his eyes. Sharing the very air she was breathing was perhaps the most intimate feeling he had ever had with a woman. He could taste her and they hadn't even made undeniable, outright contact yet. It was still just the hint of a kiss. The promise.

She sighed almost imperceptibly and then let her lips slide like a puzzle piece around his lower lip.

He couldn't remain passive any longer. Closing around her soft upper lip, he kissed her back. She tasted incredible. Castle wanted more. He wanted to flood all his senses with Kate. Her taste, her smell, her feel. It was all incredible. He let his tongue slip out and tentatively touch her lip, just to intensify that taste that he wished he could devour.

She moaned.

He flew.

Her lips fell open and she touched her own tongue to his lips. He was so dizzy he didn't even think he could remember which direction was up if it wasn't for the shine of the moon on his eyelids.

Having Kate Beckett wrap her arms around him was the single best feeling he'd ever experienced in his life. That was, until he felt her breasts against his chest. And even that was outdone by the feeling of her tongue sliding into his mouth and against his own. This time, he was the one that moaned and he glided his hands around her sides along the slick fabric of her creamy dress. He pulled her closer to him and tried to memorize the feel of her hot skin beneath cool silk.

She pulled away first. The world could have gone up in flames and he still wouldn't have stopped kissing her voluntarily.

Both of their chests heaved with excited respirations. Her eyes were still closed but he couldn't more pull his eyes from her face than he could grow wings and fly away. Pulling his hands from her waist he framed her face with them and ran his thumbs across her cheeks. She felt like a rose petal.

Brushing her windblown hair from her face, he inhaled the air that hung between them and found the intoxicating mixture of his own scent and her cherries.

"Kate…" he whispered.

"I can't believe you got me the moon." She opened her eyes slowly and her lashes batted together a few times before a slow and shy smile graced her features.

"I hear some of the stars are up for grabs now. Do you want those too? Heaven and Earth, Kate. Whatever you want, it's yours." He stroked her cheek again and then leaned in to press a gentle kiss to the beauty mark that had always intrigued him so much.

"Whatever I want?" she asked, transforming her shy smile into a sly one.

"Anything and everything." He meant it.

From her lips he heard her say, "Can I have you?"

"Oh, Kate. You've always had me."

And with that he kissed her again until neither of them remembered that there even was a Heaven, earth, moon, or stars, because surely they could be the only two things that existed.

...

The End

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, guys. I don't even know what to say here. I'm so sad to let this one go. I mean, I know there's a sequel and all, but this one was my baby. I really hope you liked the ending, because I do. I sort of tied some things back to the namesake song "And the World Turned" by The Gabe Dixon Band to give it a more circular feeling. CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR if you want to hear Oblivion and/or And the World Turned. I've also got another picture of me up there to appease those who asked for it. I've also got a brand spankin new Twitter (daphnebeauty) and have no followers yet. I don't reeeeally know the ropes yet, but if you wanna follow me, go for it._

_Put me up on your Author Alerts if you wanna catch the sequel when I start posting it. I am preeeettty sure it's going to be called "Russian Roulette" but that may or may not stick. Good news for you guys, I've written a few one shots (and short multichapfics) that I will be posting to hold you guys off until I have a bit more written on the sequel. _

_Thank you to every single reviewer and reader and follower and fan and squealy obsessee. I absolutely adore you guys and probably would never ever have the guts to be posting future fics if it hadn't been for the amazing response I got on this one. A special thanks to my sister who read through every single chapter and fixed my atrocious comma habits (she's a real life author and lawyer so yeah...she has that shit down). _

_I have two questions for you so pretty please answer them.  
>1) How do you guys feel about M ratings?<br>2) I've got another pretty-much-finished super long multichap (longer than this story). I am not sure how I feel about it...Would you guys want me to start posting chapters of that? Or hurry up and start cranking through the sequel to "And the World Turns"?_

_Reviews that made my day: **Rose Hartree ** I am pretty sure my inner voice sounds exactly like yours. Very disjointed and incredibly excited. I loved your review! Thanks for leaving it. And yeah, Beckett + bathing suit = MIND BLOWN. Also **AllusionToAnIllusion**...I love that you speak fluent Poe. I am thoroughly up for polygamy. Or at least a torrid affair. I woke up this morning and read a few of my favorite Poe stories and then spent the rest of the morning trying to convince myself that I was not, in fact, insane or about to murder someone. Poe has that effect on me. Turns out, later that day (today), **I ended up the prime suspect in a homicide investigation**. I'm not joking. I was swarmed and surrounded by cops. The full story will be on my Tumblr soon. I'm still adjusting. _

_Sorry this was so long. See you in my next story!_

**_DO NOT WORRY ABOUT SOME OF THE LOOSE ENDS IN THIS STORY! I know they are there and they will be addressed in the sequel. _**


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